TAB File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .tab
MIME Type application/x-mapinfo
Developer Pitney Bowes Software (Formerly MapInfo Corporation)
File Type Geospatial vector data format
Primary Use Storing geographical information and associated attributes
Structure Composed of several files (.dat, .id, .map, .ind, and .tab)
Coordinate System Support Supports multiple coordinate systems
Data Storage Type Vector
Geometric Objects Supported Point, Line, Polygon, Multi-point, Multi-line, Multi-polygon, Text
Encoding Supports various character encodings for attribute data
Accessibility Readable and writable by a variety of GIS software
Indexing Includes spatial indexing for efficient querying
Attribute Data Format Stored in a .dat file in dBase format
Spatial Reference Information Stored within the .tab or .map files
Tab File Role Acts as the primary file, holding metadata and links to other associated files
MapInfo-specific Features Supports MapInfo-specific styling and visualization directives
File Set Complexity Requires management of multiple files for a single dataset
Usage in Software Widely supported by GIS software including QGIS and ArcGIS
Portability High, due to clear documentation and wide support
Customizability Custom projections and attributes can be defined
Open Format No, proprietary but with well-documented specifications