Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)

FreeBSD Manual Pages

  
 
  

home | help
GDAL-VECTOR-GEOM-SIMPLIFY(1)	     GDAL	  GDAL-VECTOR-GEOM-SIMPLIFY(1)

NAME
       gdal-vector-geom-simplify - Simplify geometries of a vector dataset

       Added in	version	3.11.

SYNOPSIS
	  Usage: gdal vector geom simplify [OPTIONS] <INPUT> <OUTPUT> <TOLERANCE>

	  Simplify geometries of a vector dataset.

	  Positional arguments:
	    -i,	--input	<INPUT>					 Input vector datasets [required]
	    -o,	--output <OUTPUT>				 Output	vector dataset [required]
	    --tolerance	<TOLERANCE>				 Distance tolerance for	simplification.	[required]

	  Common Options:
	    -h,	--help						 Display help message and exit
	    --json-usage					 Display usage as JSON document	and exit
	    --config <KEY>=<VALUE>				 Configuration option [may be repeated]
	    --progress						 Display progress bar

	  Options:
	    -l,	--layer, --input-layer <INPUT-LAYER>		 Input layer name(s) [may be repeated]
	    -f,	--of, --format,	--output-format	<OUTPUT-FORMAT>	 Output	format ("GDALG"	allowed)
	    --co, --creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE>		 Creation option [may be repeated]
	    --lco, --layer-creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE>	 Layer creation	option [may be repeated]
	    --overwrite						 Whether overwriting existing output is	allowed
	    --update						 Whether to open existing dataset in update mode
	    --overwrite-layer					 Whether overwriting existing layer is allowed
	    --append						 Whether appending to existing layer is	allowed
	    --output-layer <OUTPUT-LAYER>			 Output	layer name
	    --active-layer <ACTIVE-LAYER>			 Set active layer (if not specified, all)
	    --active-geometry <ACTIVE-GEOMETRY>			 Geometry field	name to	which to restrict the processing (if not specified, all)

	  Advanced Options:
	    --if, --input-format <INPUT-FORMAT>			 Input formats [may be repeated]
	    --oo, --open-option	<KEY>=<VALUE>			 Open options [may be repeated]

DESCRIPTION
       gdal vector geom	simplify simplify geometries, ensuring that the	result
       is  a valid geometry having the same dimension and number of components
       as the input.

       The simplification uses a maximum distance difference algorithm similar
       to the one used in the Douglas-Peucker algorithm.

       This done by the	OGRGeometry::SimplifyPreserveTopology()	 method	 which
       preserves  the  topology	 per feature, but not for a whole layer.  Thus
       gaps or overlaps	between	geometries that	were initially contiguous  may
       happen.

       This command can	also be	used as	a step of gdal vector pipeline.

       NOTE:
	  This command requires	a GDAL build against the GEOS library.

   Standard options
       -f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT>
	      Which  output  vector format to use. Allowed values may be given
	      by gdal --formats	| grep vector |	grep rw	| sort

       --co <NAME>=<VALUE>
	      Many formats have	one or more optional dataset creation  options
	      that  can	be used	to control particulars about the file created.
	      For instance, the	GeoPackage driver supports creation options to
	      control the version.

	      May be repeated.

	      The dataset creation options available vary  by  format  driver,
	      and  some	simple formats have no creation	options	at all.	A list
	      of options supported  for	 a  format  can	 be  listed  with  the
	      --formats	command	line option but	the documentation for the for-
	      mat  is  the definitive source of	information on driver creation
	      options.	See Vector drivers format specific  documentation  for
	      legal creation options for each format.

	      Note that	dataset	creation options are different from layer cre-
	      ation options.

       -lco <NAME>=<VALUE>
	      Layer creation option (format specific)

       --overwrite
	      Allow  program  to  overwrite  existing  target file or dataset.
	      Otherwise, by default, gdal errors out if	 the  target  file  or
	      dataset already exists.

       --active-layer <ACTIVE-LAYER>
	      Set the active layer. When it is specified, only the layer spec-
	      ified  by	its name will be subject to the	processing. Other lay-
	      ers will be not modified.	 If this option	is not specified,  all
	      layers will be subject to	the processing.

       --active-geometry <ACTIVE-GEOMETRY>
	      Set  the	active geometry	field from its name. When it is	speci-
	      fied, only the specified geometry	field will be subject  to  the
	      processing. Other	geometry fields	will be	not modified.  If this
	      option  is not specified,	all geometry fields will be subject to
	      the processing.  This  option  can  be  combined	together  with
	      --active-layer.

       --tolerance <TOLERANCE>
	      The  specified  value  of	 this  option is the tolerance used to
	      merge consecutive	 points	 of  the  output  geometry  using  the
	      OGRGeometry::SimplifyPreserveTopology()  method  The unit	of the
	      distance is in georeferenced units of the	source layer.

   Advanced options
       --oo <NAME>=<VALUE>
	      Dataset open option (format specific).

	      May be repeated.

       --if <format>
	      Format/driver name to be attempted to open the input file(s). It
	      is generally not necessary to specify it,	but it can be used  to
	      skip automatic driver detection, when it fails to	select the ap-
	      propriate	 driver.  This option can be repeated several times to
	      specify several candidate	drivers.  Note that it does not	 force
	      those  drivers  to open the dataset. In particular, some drivers
	      have requirements	on file	extensions.

	      May be repeated.

GDALG OUTPUT (ON-THE-FLY / STREAMED DATASET)
       This program supports serializing the command line as a JSON file using
       the GDALG output	format.	 The resulting file can	then be	 opened	 as  a
       vector dataset using the	GDALG: GDAL Streamed Algorithm driver, and ap-
       ply the specified pipeline in a on-the-fly / streamed way.

EXAMPLES
   Example  1:	Simplify  geometries using a tolerance of one km (assuming the
       CRS is in meters)
	  $ gdal vector	geom simplify --tolerance=1000 in.gpkg out.gpkg	--overwrite

AUTHOR
       Even Rouault <even.rouault@spatialys.com>

COPYRIGHT
       1998-2025

				 Jul 12, 2025	  GDAL-VECTOR-GEOM-SIMPLIFY(1)

Want to link to this manual page? Use this URL:
<https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=gdal-vector-geom-simplify&sektion=1&manpath=FreeBSD+Ports+15.0>

home | help