A Shapefile is a digital vector storage format for storing geometric location and associated attribute information. This format lacks the capacity to store topological information. The Shapefile format was introduced by ESRI for ArcGIS software. It is now possible to read and write Shapefiles using a variety of free and non-free programs.
Shapefiles can be exported by selecting View Actions > Export Shapefiles (found towards the top right of a Map view), and used in ArcGIS or other GIS software. Once exported, an email will be sent to the user with a zip file that includes 5 different files:
1. .xls
2. .prj
3. .shp
4. .shx
5. .txt