Read and the view geographical data contained in SHP files. Also view the data in the accompanying DBF database file. Save this information to SVG files. 

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Import SHP Files

SHP files contain the geometric data such as points, polylines or polygons created by ESRI's ArcView or other geographical software. This data can be read and displayed on the screen. These files can be very large and files of over 100MB are not uncommon. As a result the data from these files is compressed before being diplayed on the screen.

View Database Records

The SHP files are accompanied by a DBF database file that contains textual or numerical data that is associated to the geometry in the SHP file. These database records can also be displayed by the viewer. In addition, each of the database records is grouped with the appropriate geometry when the data is exported to an SVG file.

Export to SVG

The viewer exports the compressed geometry to an SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) file. SVG is the web-based standard two dimensional graphics format that is based on XML from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The contents of an SVG file can be viewed by any SVG capable internet browser. Since SVG was designed for the internet and can be viewed in a browser, it is an ideal format for displaying information in websites.

If your browser does not support SVG, the Adobe SVG plug-in can be obtained HERE.

Free Download

The Swirl GIS Viewer is free software that may be used without time limitation subject to the conditions of the enclosed license agreement.

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 System requirements: Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista. The program does not run on Windows 98.

ESRI and ArcView are registered trademarks of the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. The SHP shapefile format was created by ESRI.