Convert GDB to BNA Online - Free & Fast

What is GDB?

ESRI File Geodatabase (GDB) is a collection of files in a folder structure that stores vector feature classes, raster datasets, topology rules, and network datasets, serving as the primary geospatial data storage format in ArcGIS.

What is BNA?

Atlas Boundaries (BNA) is a simple ASCII coordinate format for storing polygon boundary data, originally developed by Atlas GIS for representing area features like postal codes, sales territories, and administrative regions as coordinate lists.

When Should You Use GDB vs BNA?

GDB vs BNA: Key Differences

• •The core technical difference: GDB relies on lossless compression whereas BNA uses lossy compression.
• •The switch from lossless compression to lossy compression means you gain significant space savings while accepting minor quality trade-offs.
• •Transparency: Yes - BNA is a plain text format — converting from GDB will merge transparency into a solid background
• •File sizes: GDB files typically range 1MB to 1TB+ depending on data volume and BNA files 1KB to 50MB depending on boundary complexity.
• •GDB is optimized for enterprise gis data management, esri ecosystem spatial storage while BNA is designed for atlas gis boundary exchange, regional mapping, legacy spatial data conversion — choose based on your specific workflow needs

Advantages of GDB

• ✓At its core, GDB relies on lossless encoding — a design choice that makes it perfect for Enterprise GIS data management, ESRI ecosystem spatial storage.
• ✓You won't run into compatibility issues with GDB — it's a universal standard across platforms.
• ✓File size management with GDB: larger files guaranteed to match the original exactly.
• ✓Every major application in the Enterprise GIS data management, ESRI ecosystem spatial storage space supports GDB natively.

Advantages of BNA

• ✓BNA applies lossy compression specifically calibrated for Atlas GIS boundary exchange, regional mapping, legacy spatial data conversion.
• ✓BNA enjoys broad native support across operating systems, browsers, and creative tools alike.
• ✓BNA delivers impressive compression ratios, shrinking files dramatically while keeping visual quality high.
• ✓You will find BNA support built into virtually every tool that handles Atlas GIS boundary exchange, regional mapping, legacy spatial data conversion — no plugins or converters needed.

Common Use Cases for GDB to BNA Conversion

Industry Applications

Best Practices for GDB to BNA Conversion

• →When converting GDB to BNA: confirm the coordinate reference system (CRS / projection) is preserved or explicitly reprojected
• →Keep attribute tables and feature metadata intact — BNA should retain all fields from GDB
• →Check geometry types (point, line, polygon) map cleanly between the two formats
• →Verify that z/elevation values and topology survive the conversion when working with terrain data
• →Always keep a backup of your original files before converting
• →Choose the appropriate quality settings for your specific use case

Troubleshooting GDB to BNA Conversion

• !Topology errors in the converted BNA → self-intersecting polygons or duplicate vertices may not transfer cleanly between formats
• !The BNA file coordinate values shifted slightly → datums (WGS84 vs NAD83) differ even when the projection looks similar
• !Time field values were corrupted after converting GDB to BNA → date and time field formatting varies across GIS formats
• !Null geometry features appear in the converted BNA → empty or null-shape records in GDB may cause validation errors in some formats

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