In the last ten years, the rise of efficient computing devices with significant processing power and storage has caused a surge in digital data collection and publication. As more software programs and hardware devices are released, we are not only seeing an increase in available data, but also an increase in available data formats. Cartographers today have access to a wide range of interesting datasets, and online portals for downloading geospatial data now frequently offer that data in several different formats. This chapter provides information useful to modern cartographers working with vector data, including an overview of common vector data formats (e.g. shapefile, GeoJSON, file geodatabase); their relative benefits, idiosyncrasies, and limitations; and a list of popular sources for geospatial vector data (e.g. United States Census Bureau, university data warehouses).
The modern geospatial information market involves traditional maps, but has evolved to include Geographic Information Systems, and an expanding array of (often digitized) geographic information. First through the advent of computers, then through the growth of the Internet, and now through GPS-enabled smartphones, the geospatial information market is increasingly global in scope, interconnected with other forms of data, and embedded in people’s daily lives. While this presents enormous economic potential, it brings new risks and challenges (from surveillance to cybersecurity), requiring careful and collaborative management, governance, and regulation from private and public actors across scales and locales.