Shapefiles

Shapefile is a vector file format used in the GIS ArcView. Shapefiles consist of three separate files;

• a spatial information file (.SHP),

• an index file (.SHX),

• a dBASE file with attribute information (.DBF).

Typically when opening and saving shapefiles only the .SHP file is listed, but FARSITE manages the .SHX and .DBF files behind the scenes. Be careful when moving shapefiles as all three are required to utilize the data.