GDAL-VECTOR-CHECK-COVERAGE(1) GDAL GDAL-VECTOR-CHECK-COVERAGE(1)
gdal-vector-check-coverage - Check polygon coverage for validity
Added in version 3.12.
Usage: gdal vector check-coverage [OPTIONS] <INPUT> <OUTPUT>
Check a polygon coverage for validity
Positional arguments:
-i, --input <INPUT> Input vector datasets [required]
-o, --output <OUTPUT> Output vector dataset [required]
Common Options:
-h, --help Display help message and exit
--json-usage Display usage as JSON document and exit
--config <KEY>=<VALUE> Configuration option [may be repeated]
-q, --quiet Quiet mode (no progress bar)
Options:
-l, --layer, --input-layer <INPUT-LAYER> Input layer name(s) [may be repeated]
-f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT> Output format ("GDALG" allowed)
--co, --creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Creation option [may be repeated]
--lco, --layer-creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Layer creation option [may be repeated]
--overwrite Whether overwriting existing output is allowed
--update Whether to open existing dataset in update mode
--overwrite-layer Whether overwriting existing output is allowed
--append Whether appending to existing layer is allowed
Mutually exclusive with --upsert
--output-layer <OUTPUT-LAYER> Output layer name
--skip-errors Skip errors when writing features
--include-valid Include valid inputs in output, with empty geometry
--geometry-field <GEOMETRY-FIELD> Name of geometry field to check
--maximum-gap-width <MAXIMUM-GAP-WIDTH> Maximum width of a gap to be flagged
Advanced Options:
--if, --input-format <INPUT-FORMAT> Input formats [may be repeated]
--oo, --open-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Open options [may be repeated]
--output-oo, --output-open-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Output open options [may be repeated]
--upsert Upsert features (implies 'append')
Mutually exclusive with --append
gdal vector check-coverage checks whether a polygon dataset forms a
valid coverage, meaning:
+o no polygons overlap
+o all shared edges have nodes at the same locations
+o any gaps between polygons are larger than a specified width
For each polygon not satisfying these criteria, a linear feature with
the geometry of the invalid edge is output. If the coverage is
valid, the output dataset will be empty unless --include-valid is
used.
It is assumed that the individual polygons are themselves valid
according to the OGC Simple Features standard. This can be checked by
gdal vector check-geometry.
NOTE:
This command requires a GDAL build against the GEOS library
(version 3.12 or greater).
--geometry-field
Specify the name of the geometry field to test, for layers
having multiple geometry fields. By default the first geometry
field will be used.
--include-valid
Include features for valid geometries in the output,
maintaining 1:1 correspondence between input and output
features.
--include-field
Added in version 3.12.1.
Optional field(s) to copy from the input features to the
output.
--maximum-gap-width <MAXIMUM-GAP-WIDTH>
Defines the largest area that should be considered a gap.
-f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT>
Which output vector format to use. Allowed values may be given
by gdal --formats | grep vector | grep rw | sort
--co, --creation-option <NAME>=<VALUE>
Many formats have one or more optional dataset creation
options that can be used to control particulars about the file
created. For instance, the GeoPackage driver supports creation
options to control the version.
May be repeated.
The dataset creation options available vary by format driver,
and some simple formats have no creation options at all. A
list of options supported for a format can be listed with the
--formats command line option but the documentation for the
format is the definitive source of information on driver
creation options. See Vector drivers format specific
documentation for legal creation options for each format.
Note that dataset creation options are different from layer
creation options.
-lco <NAME>=<VALUE>
Layer creation option (format specific)
--overwrite
Allow program to overwrite existing target file or dataset.
Otherwise, by default, gdal errors out if the target file or
dataset already exists.
--oo, --open-option <NAME>=<VALUE>
Dataset open option (format specific).
May be repeated.
--if, --input-format <format>
Format/driver name to be attempted to open the input file(s).
It is generally not necessary to specify it, but it can be
used to skip automatic driver detection, when it fails to
select the appropriate driver. This option can be repeated
several times to specify several candidate drivers. Note that
it does not force those drivers to open the dataset. In
particular, some drivers have requirements on file extensions.
May be repeated.
GDALG OUTPUT (ON-THE-FLY / STREAMED DATASET)
This program supports serializing the command line as a JSON file
using the GDALG output format. The resulting file can then be opened
as a vector dataset using the GDALG: GDAL Streamed Algorithm driver,
and apply the specified pipeline in a on-the-fly / streamed way.
NOTE:
However this algorithm is not natively streaming compatible.
Consequently a in-memory temporary dataset will be generated,
which may cause significant processing time at opening.
Dan Baston <dbaston@gmail.com>
1998-2026
March 20, 2026 GDAL-VECTOR-CHECK-COVERAGE(1)
NAME
gdal-vector-check-coverage - Check polygon coverage for validity
Added in version 3.12.
SYNOPSIS
Usage: gdal vector check-coverage [OPTIONS] <INPUT> <OUTPUT>
Check a polygon coverage for validity
Positional arguments:
-i, --input <INPUT> Input vector datasets [required]
-o, --output <OUTPUT> Output vector dataset [required]
Common Options:
-h, --help Display help message and exit
--json-usage Display usage as JSON document and exit
--config <KEY>=<VALUE> Configuration option [may be repeated]
-q, --quiet Quiet mode (no progress bar)
Options:
-l, --layer, --input-layer <INPUT-LAYER> Input layer name(s) [may be repeated]
-f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT> Output format ("GDALG" allowed)
--co, --creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Creation option [may be repeated]
--lco, --layer-creation-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Layer creation option [may be repeated]
--overwrite Whether overwriting existing output is allowed
--update Whether to open existing dataset in update mode
--overwrite-layer Whether overwriting existing output is allowed
--append Whether appending to existing layer is allowed
Mutually exclusive with --upsert
--output-layer <OUTPUT-LAYER> Output layer name
--skip-errors Skip errors when writing features
--include-valid Include valid inputs in output, with empty geometry
--geometry-field <GEOMETRY-FIELD> Name of geometry field to check
--maximum-gap-width <MAXIMUM-GAP-WIDTH> Maximum width of a gap to be flagged
Advanced Options:
--if, --input-format <INPUT-FORMAT> Input formats [may be repeated]
--oo, --open-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Open options [may be repeated]
--output-oo, --output-open-option <KEY>=<VALUE> Output open options [may be repeated]
--upsert Upsert features (implies 'append')
Mutually exclusive with --append
DESCRIPTION
gdal vector check-coverage checks whether a polygon dataset forms a
valid coverage, meaning:
+o no polygons overlap
+o all shared edges have nodes at the same locations
+o any gaps between polygons are larger than a specified width
For each polygon not satisfying these criteria, a linear feature with
the geometry of the invalid edge is output. If the coverage is
valid, the output dataset will be empty unless --include-valid is
used.
It is assumed that the individual polygons are themselves valid
according to the OGC Simple Features standard. This can be checked by
gdal vector check-geometry.
NOTE:
This command requires a GDAL build against the GEOS library
(version 3.12 or greater).
Standard options
--geometry-field
Specify the name of the geometry field to test, for layers
having multiple geometry fields. By default the first geometry
field will be used.
--include-valid
Include features for valid geometries in the output,
maintaining 1:1 correspondence between input and output
features.
--include-field
Added in version 3.12.1.
Optional field(s) to copy from the input features to the
output.
--maximum-gap-width <MAXIMUM-GAP-WIDTH>
Defines the largest area that should be considered a gap.
-f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT>
Which output vector format to use. Allowed values may be given
by gdal --formats | grep vector | grep rw | sort
--co, --creation-option <NAME>=<VALUE>
Many formats have one or more optional dataset creation
options that can be used to control particulars about the file
created. For instance, the GeoPackage driver supports creation
options to control the version.
May be repeated.
The dataset creation options available vary by format driver,
and some simple formats have no creation options at all. A
list of options supported for a format can be listed with the
--formats command line option but the documentation for the
format is the definitive source of information on driver
creation options. See Vector drivers format specific
documentation for legal creation options for each format.
Note that dataset creation options are different from layer
creation options.
-lco <NAME>=<VALUE>
Layer creation option (format specific)
--overwrite
Allow program to overwrite existing target file or dataset.
Otherwise, by default, gdal errors out if the target file or
dataset already exists.
Advanced options
--oo, --open-option <NAME>=<VALUE>
Dataset open option (format specific).
May be repeated.
--if, --input-format <format>
Format/driver name to be attempted to open the input file(s).
It is generally not necessary to specify it, but it can be
used to skip automatic driver detection, when it fails to
select the appropriate driver. This option can be repeated
several times to specify several candidate drivers. Note that
it does not force those drivers to open the dataset. In
particular, some drivers have requirements on file extensions.
May be repeated.
GDALG OUTPUT (ON-THE-FLY / STREAMED DATASET)
This program supports serializing the command line as a JSON file
using the GDALG output format. The resulting file can then be opened
as a vector dataset using the GDALG: GDAL Streamed Algorithm driver,
and apply the specified pipeline in a on-the-fly / streamed way.
NOTE:
However this algorithm is not natively streaming compatible.
Consequently a in-memory temporary dataset will be generated,
which may cause significant processing time at opening.
AUTHOR
Dan Baston <dbaston@gmail.com>
COPYRIGHT
1998-2026
March 20, 2026 GDAL-VECTOR-CHECK-COVERAGE(1)