Thematic Layer
A map layer representing a specific type of spatial data, such as land use, elevation, or population density. Thematic layers are fundamental for visualizing and analysing particular geographic phenomena.
What defines a Thematic Layer?
In geographic information systems, a thematic layer is a map layer that depicts a particular theme or subject associated with geographic data. It concentrates on a single category of data, including elevation, vegetation, land use, or population.
A thematic layer is a layer in a GIS map that shows characteristics or phenomena according to a shared characteristic or topic (the "theme").
Thematic Layer Examples:
Population Density (by block or district)
Types of Land Use (residential, industrial, and agricultural)
Types of Soil (clay, loam, sand)
Distribution of Rainfall
Lines of Elevation or Contour
Related Keywords
In GIS, a thematic layer is a map layer that depicts particular geographic data associated with a single theme or subject, including transportation networks, vegetation, land use, or population density. Spatial data (locations) and attribute data (descriptive information) are included in each layer to aid in the analysis and visualization of trends or relationships for improved decision-making.
With an emphasis on topics like population, climate, or land use, thematic mapping techniques graphically depict certain facts or patterns on maps. Common techniques that aid in the clear revelation of spatial patterns include choropleth maps (colour gradients), dot density maps, proportional symbol maps, and isoline maps.
In GIS, a thematic layer is a map layer that displays a single category of data, like population, land use, or highways. An area's patterns and linkages can be examined by combining several thematic layers.
Thematic maps highlight particular facts or concepts. Cartograms (areas resized by data), isoline maps (lines for continuous data), choropleth maps (colour shades for data), proportional symbol maps (symbols sized by value), and dot maps (dots for distribution) are common forms.