GeoTIFF vs. Shapefile vs. GeoJSON: Which Export Format Should You Use?
Once a floorplan is georeferenced, you still have to pick an export format — and the three most common options (GeoTIFF, Shapefile, and GeoJSON) are built for genuinely different jobs, not interchangeable flavors of the same thing.
GeoTIFF
A GeoTIFF is an image file (like a regular TIFF) with georeferencing information embedded directly inside it — no separate companion file needed. Open it in QGIS, ArcGIS, or most GIS software, and it's already correctly positioned. This is the right format when you want the actual visual floorplan itself to appear on a map as an image layer, not just its outline.
Shapefile
A Shapefile is a vector format — it stores geometric shapes (points, lines, polygons) and their attributes, not an image. For a floorplan, that typically means the building footprint as a polygon, with attributes like a name or floor label attached. It's a long-standing GIS standard, but it can't embed an image — it's for geometry and data, not visuals. It's also technically several files bundled together (.shp, .shx, .dbf, .prj), which is worth knowing if you're moving files around manually.
GeoJSON
GeoJSON is also a vector format, storing geometry and attributes like a Shapefile does, but as a single, human-readable JSON file rather than a bundle of binary files. It's the natural choice for web maps and JavaScript-based tools (like Mapbox or Leaflet), and — depending on how it's built — it can even carry an embedded image reference inside its properties, making a single GeoJSON file self-contained enough to render on its own.
Quick comparison
| GeoTIFF | Shapefile | GeoJSON | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stores | Raster image | Vector geometry | Vector geometry |
| Can show the floorplan image itself | Yes | No | Depends on implementation |
| Single file | Yes | No (multi-file bundle) | Yes |
| Best for | Overlaying the plan visually on a map | Traditional desktop GIS workflows | Web maps and JS tooling |
Which should you actually export?
If you're not sure yet which downstream tool you'll be using, the safe answer is: export all three. They serve different purposes rather than competing versions of the same file, so there's rarely a reason to pick just one up front. FloorGeo bundles GeoTIFF, GeoJSON, Shapefile, and a plain corner-coordinates CSV together in a single export, specifically so you're not locked into guessing the right format before you know what you'll need it for.