Data formats
Geological data from SGU is available in various formats. We have chosen the formats that we believe are best for further use of our information and that follow standards in the field.
Data from SGU is provided in JSON, GeoJSON, CSV, GeoPackage formats, as well as in TIFF format for raster data.
- JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation, and CSV is usually interpreted as Character-Separated Values. Both are compact, text-based formats used for exchanging data. You can open CSV files in, for example, Excel.
- GeoJSON is an open standard based on JSON but also includes the geographic component in the form of support for different geometry types, such as points, lines, and areas. GeoJSON files can be opened in QGIS, for example.
- GeoPackage is a file-based database format adapted for geographic information. GeoPackage is an open, non-proprietary standard developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium, OGC, and can be used in a large number of GIS and database clients, such as QGIS or ArcGIS.
API Viewing Service – WMS
SGU's viewing services are aimed at those of you who want to use our information as ready-made images in your own systems or applications. They can also be accessed by websites that use a map-based interface to connect to WMS, allowing data from different providers to be visualised spatially and compared. The services are set up in WMS format (Web Map Service), and we use them ourselves in our map service Kartvisaren.
Our viewing services are based on the standardized Web Map Service (WMS) call interface developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium, OGC. WMS is also an ISO standard (ISO 19128).
Read more about WMS at Web Map Service – Open Geospatial Consortium (ogc.org)
The viewing services are of a question-answer nature, where the user's system sends a service call over the internet and receives back a map image in a common image format. The properties of the map image are defined by the call's parameters, such as information type (WMS layer), geographical extent, reference system, image format, and image size. There are many programs for using WMS services. In addition to commercial products, there are a number of established products based on open source code, such as uDig and QGIS.
API Direct Access – WCS
Our APIs for direct access to raster data are based on the standard Web Coverage Service (WCS) protocol from the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC).
Read more at Web Coverage Service – Open Geospatial Consortium (ogc.org)
WCS works in a similar way to a viewing service according to OGC WMS, but with the ability to download the data that the service contains. Most GIS software on the market has built-in support for the WCS standard.
API Direct Access – OGC API – Features
SGU uses the OGC API – Features standard for direct access to data in vector format. The standard is part of OGC's new generation of APIs according to the OpenAPI specification, and is a development of the previous Web Feature Service (WFS) interface.
Last reviewed 2025-01-16