Opening File Geodatabases with the OpenFileGDB driver

File Geodatabases (GDB) are a relatively new format compared to shapefiles, and they were created by Esri for their Arc product line. They allow the storage of multiple vector and raster layers in a single database. Some government agencies release data officially in this format. However, only in the last few years has it been possible to open this data with open source tools.

Getting ready

For this recipe, you will need a File Geodatabase, naturalearthsample.gdb.zip, which is included in the sample data, and GDAL 1.11 or a newer version.

Tip

Check your GDAL version by navigating to Help | About | About. If your GDAL is a lower number, upgrading your QGIS should get you a new enough version. Refer to http://qgis.org/en/site/forusers/download.html for more options, especially if on Linux where you may need third-party repositories for a newer version of GDAL.

File Geodatabases are actually folders full of all sorts of binary files. Typically...