GeoJSON Geometry Simplifier failed or looks wrong? Troubleshooting guide
Troubleshoot extensions, file structure, dependencies, encoding, memory, and output error in GeoJSON Geometry Simplifier while preserving the source.
Preserve the source first
Do not rename and overwrite the original, and do not treat a browser preview as the only acceptance record. Use a small copy and record size, producer, version, browser, and exact error.
The easy-to-miss fact for this format
For a coastline with 80,000 vertices, start with a tiny tolerance and compare count, size, bays, and island holes. Never replace a legal boundary with the simplified copy.
Recommended troubleshooting order
- Test the page example or a smaller known-good file to confirm the tool runs.
- Check extension, signature, companion files, remote URL, and CORS; exclude a downloaded HTML error page.
- Supply the input again according to the workflow:
- Choose GeoJSON and record original features, vertices, and size.
- Enter a small tolerance appropriate to CRS units.
- Compare original and simplified bounds, corners, holes, and intersections.
- Download a copy after accepting the error; never overwrite the source.
- Close memory-heavy tabs and retry in current Chrome or Edge.
- If it still fails, re-export from the producing application and validate in the receiving system.
Common questions and answers
What tolerance should I use?
Confirm CRS units, start very small for longitude/latitude, and review at the intended map scale.
Why do adjacent polygons develop gaps?
Per-feature simplification does not preserve shared topology; use a topology-aware GIS workflow.
Is data uploaded?
Processing runs in this browser tab; the file is not uploaded to FreeTool to perform the task.
Limits that must not be bypassed
- Geometry changes, so legal or precision boundaries are unsuitable
- Geographic tolerance is degrees, not meters
- Invalid polygons and topology gaps are not automatically repaired
Privacy handling
Local input is not uploaded to FreeTool for processing; remote IIIF/DZI URLs are requested by the browser from their source. Troubleshooting images, OCR text, model summaries, and converted files may contain sensitive or copyrighted content. De-identify and confirm rights before sharing.