Geospatial PDF

A geospatial PDF is a Portable Document Format file that contains embedded georeferencingGeoreferencingGeoreferencing is the process of linking spatial data to specific geographic coordinates, enabling integration with o... metadata, enabling location-aware functionality within a standard PDF viewer. Users can click any point on the map to read its geographic coordinates, measure distances and areas, and in some viewers toggle the visibility of map layers—all without GISGISGeographic Information Systems (GIS) enable users to analyze and visualize spatial data to uncover patterns, relation... software. Geospatial PDFs are generated from GIS platforms by exporting map layouts with coordinate system information preserved. ArcGISArcGISArcGIS is a leading GIS platform offering tools for spatial analysis, mapping, and data visualization. It serves a wi... Pro, QGISQGISQGIS is a user-friendly, open-source GIS platform that provides tools for geospatial data analysis, mapping, and inte..., and Global Mapper all support geospatial PDF export. The resulting files can contain multiple map layers, attribute data, and even hyperlinks to external resources. Adobe Acrobat Reader supports geospatial features natively, and the open-source PDF specification (ISO 32000) includes geospatial extensions. This format is widely used for distributing map products to stakeholders who do not have GIS software, such as field teams using tablets, government officials reviewing planning documents, and the general public accessing downloadable park or trail maps. Geospatial PDFs offer a practical middle ground between fully interactive web maps and static image exports, preserving much of the spatial functionality in a universally readable format. File size management is important, as high-resolution maps with many layers can produce large PDFs.