What is a .EAZ file?
The .EAZ file is a special type of file used with a program called ArcGIS Explorer. ArcGIS Explorer is a free tool made by a company named ESRI, and it's used for looking at maps, understanding them better, and sharing them with others. The .EAZ file helps to make ArcGIS Explorer do more things than it could do on its own. It's like a little package that adds new features to the program, such as extra buttons to click on, new windows to look at, or other helpful tools.
This file is actually a collection of different files all squished together into one, making it easier to move around and use. Inside this package, there's a special file in a format called XML, some compiled code (which is a way of writing instructions for computers), and other files that help the add-in work properly. To open or use these .EAZ files, you need to have ArcGIS Explorer installed on your computer. Another program that can work with these files is Microsoft Visual Studio, but only if you also have something called the ArcGIS Explorer SDK installed. The SDK is a set of tools that lets developers create these add-ins or extensions for ArcGIS Explorer.
If you're interested in making your own .EAZ files, you would use the ArcGIS Explorer SDK, and you should know that these files are compressed using a method called Zip compression to make them smaller and easier to handle. Inside the compressed package, there's an important file named Addins.xml that lists all the custom features the .EAZ file adds to ArcGIS Explorer.
For people using Windows computers, these add-in files are usually stored in a specific place on your computer. The location depends on your version of Windows. For example, in Windows XP, you'll find them in the \[user]\Application Data\ESRI\ArcGIS Explorer\AddIns\ directory. In Windows Vista and 7, they're in \[user]\AppData\Roaming\ESRI\ArcGIS Explorer\AddIns\.
One last thing to note is that if you're planning to use Microsoft Visual Studio to work with these files, you should check to make sure that the ArcGIS Explorer SDK is compatible with your version of Visual Studio.
Verification
Our goal is to help people find the most up-to-date information about file extensions for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS. We researched over 10,000 file extensions and their respective programs that open those files. If you want to suggest edits or updates about .EAZ file formats, example files, or programs that are compatible. Please contact us.