What is considered best practice for geospatial data exchange?

Using ZIP files for geospatial data exchange is regarded as a best practice primarily because they allow for efficient compression and packaging of multiple files into a single archive. Geospatial data often comes in various formats, including shapefiles, raster images, and metadata files. By compressing these into a ZIP file, it not only reduces the size for easier transmission over networks but also preserves the folder structure and relationships between files, ensuring that all related data is kept together and retrievable after unzipping.

ZIP files are widely supported and can be easily handled by many software applications used in GIS, making them a practical choice for sharing complex datasets. The use of ZIP also provides an added benefit of simplifying sharing with colleagues or clients who may need access to the entire dataset in a consolidated format.

Other formats, such as CSV, PDF, and JSON, serve different purposes. CSV files are great for tabular data but often don't accommodate complex geospatial data structures. PDF files are useful for visualization but not practical for data exchange as they are not easily editable or usable for analysis in GIS applications. JSON files have advantages when dealing with web-based applications and APIs, particularly for exchanging geospatial data in a structured format; however, they might not be as efficient in packaging