GeoPackage

Overview

A GeoPackage is an open, standards-based, platform-independent, portable, self-describing, compact format for transferring geospatial information. The GeoPackage standard describes a set of conventions for storing the following within a SQLite database:

• vector features
• tile matrix sets of imagery and raster maps at various scales
• extensions

To be clear, a GeoPackage is the SQLite container and the GeoPackage Encoding Standard governs the rules and requirements of content stored in a GeoPackage container. The GeoPackage standard defines the schema for a GeoPackage, including table definitions, integrity assertions, format limitations, and content constraints. The required and supported content of a GeoPackage is entirely defined in the standard. 

Since a GeoPackage is a database container, it supports direct use. This means  that  data in a GeoPackage can be accessed and updated in a “native” storage format without intermediate format translations. GeoPackages that comply with the requirements in the standard  and do not implement vendor-specific extensions are interoperable across all enterprise and personal computing environments. GeoPackages are particularly useful on mobile devices such as cell phones and tablets in communications environments where there is limited connectivity and bandwidth. 

Additional Resources

Media Type   https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/geopackage+sqlite3

Public Site   For more information on GeoPackage including developer resources and information on in-progress work, please visit http://www.geopackage.org/ . For the official OGC member approved versions of the standard, see the Download information below.