Extract text from elevation data files (DT2)
To convert DT2 elevation files to another format, you need Global Mapper or other GIS software.
To convert other file formats to the "Elevation Model File" file type, you need software like Global Mapper or a similar tool.
A .DT2 file is a highly fragmented format. Its primary use is storing Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED Level 2) created by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. These files contain a uniform grid of elevation points used in military, scientific, and commercial Geographic Information Systems (GIS). However, the .DT2 extension is also heavily used as a raw temporary cache for Google Chrome and Opera web browsers to store thumbnail images, or as legacy Windows Live Messenger Winks.
The main disadvantage of the .DT2 format is this exact extension overlap. A user cannot easily tell if a file contains high-resolution seismic topographical data or a simple cached web graphic. For GIS users, the DTED format is rigid, outdated, and requires specialized, expensive software like Global Mapper or complex open-source tools like QGIS to view. For web users, browser cache .DT2 files cannot natively open in default image viewers because their headers are obfuscated or the extension is non-standard.
To make this data usable, conversion is highly recommended. For GIS and mapping workflows, convert the .DT2 file to a standard DEM (Digital Elevation Model) or TIF (GeoTIFF) to ensure compatibility across all spatial software. For cached images, convert them to standard PNG or JPG formats to restore normal viewing capabilities.
Convert.Guru analyzes your DT2 file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted ID2, DT, GIC, GMP, MPZ and DT1 files.
If you want to convert DT2 file to SHP, KML, KMZ, GPX, GEOJSON, TOPOJSON, TIF, TIFF, ECW, SID, IMG or DEM, you can use Global Mapper or similar software from the "GIS Elevation Data Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LAZ, KMZ, DTM, CSV, DEM, PRJ, LAS, GPX, DSM, SHP, DBF or KML files to DT2, try Global Mapper or another comparable tool in the "GIS Elevation Data Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our DT2 converter.