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.TH "GDAL-VECTOR-SORT" "1" "May 08, 2026" "" "GDAL"
.SH NAME
gdal-vector-sort \- Spatially sort a vector dataset
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Added in version 3.13.

.SH SYNOPSIS
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.EX
Usage: gdal vector sort [OPTIONS] <INPUT> <OUTPUT>

Spatially order the features in a layer

Positional arguments:
  \-i, \-\-input <INPUT>                                  Input vector datasets [required] [not available in pipelines]
  \-o, \-\-output <OUTPUT>                                Output vector dataset [required] [not available in pipelines]

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 or warning message) [not available in pipelines]

Options:
  \-l, \-\-layer, \-\-input\-layer <INPUT\-LAYER>             Input layer name(s) [may be repeated] [not available in pipelines]
  \-f, \-\-of, \-\-format, \-\-output\-format <OUTPUT\-FORMAT>  Output format (\(dqGDALG\(dq allowed) [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-co, \-\-creation\-option <KEY>=<VALUE>                Creation option [may be repeated] [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-lco, \-\-layer\-creation\-option <KEY>=<VALUE>         Layer creation option [may be repeated] [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-overwrite                                          Whether overwriting existing output dataset is allowed [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-update                                             Whether to open existing dataset in update mode [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-overwrite\-layer                                    Whether overwriting existing output layer is allowed [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-append                                             Whether appending to existing layer is allowed [not available in pipelines]
                                                       Mutually exclusive with \-\-upsert
  \-\-output\-layer <OUTPUT\-LAYER>                        Output layer name [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-skip\-errors                                        Skip errors when writing features [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-geometry\-field <GEOMETRY\-FIELD>                    Name of geometry field to use in sort
  \-\-method <METHOD>                                    Geometry sorting algorithm. METHOD=hilbert|strtree (default: hilbert)
  \-\-use\-tempfile                                       Write features to a temporary file to avoid reading the entire input dataset into memory

Advanced Options:
  \-\-if, \-\-input\-format <INPUT\-FORMAT>                  Input formats [may be repeated] [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-oo, \-\-open\-option <KEY>=<VALUE>                    Open options [may be repeated] [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-output\-oo, \-\-output\-open\-option <KEY>=<VALUE>      Output open options [may be repeated] [not available in pipelines]
  \-\-upsert                                             Upsert features (implies \(aqappend\(aq) [not available in pipelines]
                                                       Mutually exclusive with \-\-append
.EE
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.SH DESCRIPTION
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\fBgdal vector sort\fP sorts the features in a vector dataset according to the position of its geometries. The sorting method can be specified via \fI\%\-\-method\fP, with Hilbert and Sort\-Tile\-Recursive (STRTree) algorithms available.
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Features that have null or empty geometries will be placed at the end of the sorted dataset.
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This command can also be used as a step of \fI\%gdal vector pipeline\fP\&.
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\fBNOTE:\fP
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Use of the STRtree algorithm requires a GDAL build against the GEOS library.
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.SH PROGRAM-SPECIFIC OPTIONS
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.B \-\-geometry\-field <GEOMETRY\-FIELD>
The name of the geometry field by which features should be sorted.
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.B \-\-method <METHOD>
Specifies the sorting method. Available options are:
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.IP \(bu 2
hilbert : default method. Geometries are sorted according to the Hilbert code of the center point of their bounding box
.IP \(bu 2
strtree : Geometries are sorted by constructing a sort\-tile\-recursive tree using the GEOS library and performing a depth\-first iteration.
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.TP
.B \-\-use\-tempfile
Write the input features to a temporary file from which they can be read in sorted order. Avoids the need to load the entire
input layer into memory.
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.SH RETURN STATUS CODE
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The program returns status code 0 in case of success, and non\-zero in case of
error (non\-blocking errors emitted as warnings are considered as a successful
execution).
.SH EXAMPLES
.SS Example 1: Create a cloud\-optimized Shapefile
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.EX
$ gdal vector sort in.gpkg out.shp \-\-method hilbert \-\-lco SPATIAL_INDEX=YES
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.SH AUTHOR
Dan Baston <dbaston@gmail.com>
.SH COPYRIGHT
1998-2026
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