top of page
GeoWGS84AI_Logo_edited.jpg

Continuous Data

Data that varies smoothly across a surface, such as elevation or temperature, requiring specialized spatial analysis techniques.

Continuous Data

What does Continuous Data mean?

Data that can be measured at infinitely fine scales and has any value within a specified range is referred to as continuous data. It depicts data that varies gradually over time or space without clear boundaries in statistics and GIS.


Continuous data examples include:


  • Raising

  • The temperature

  • Rainfall

  • The slope

  • The pressure of air


Raster formats, in which each cell has a value corresponding to the measured quantity, such as height at that point, are frequently used in mapping to represent continuous data.

Related Keywords

Continuous data, like height, weight, temperature, time, and distance, are numerical values that can have any value within a range.

Whereas discrete data is made up of discrete, distinct values (like the number of automobiles or students), continuous data can have any value within a range (like height or temperature).

In statistics, numerical values that can take on any value within a range—including fractions and decimals—are referred to as continuous data. Temperature, time, height, and weight are a few examples of variables with endlessly accurate measurements.

Whereas categorical data denotes discrete groupings or labels, such as colours or product types, continuous data can take any numerical value within a range, such as height or temperature.

bottom of page