GIS Glossary

The use of GIS and visualization to aid decision-makers in interpreting and analysing spatial data for planning and management.

The vertical distance from a reference surface, often used in hydrological and subsurface analyses.

A raster dataset representing the earth’s surface elevation, widely used in terrain analysis and hydrological modelling.

A digital vector data format used for representing features such as topography and hydrography, important for spatial analysis of physical landscapes.

Similar to DEM but includes the elevation of buildings, vegetation, and other objects above the ground, useful for urban and environmental analysis.

A refined DEM that incorporates key topographic features, enabling detailed surface analysis.

A spatial reference system that partitions the globe into hierarchical cells for efficient spatial analysis and data management.

A technique for associating multiple sets of attributes with portions of linear features, allowing for advanced event mapping along routes (e.g., roads, rivers).

In network analysis, a line or segment representing a connection between nodes, such as a road segment (standard GIS usage).

The property of a network describing how edges (connections) link nodes, critical in network and flow analysis (standard GIS usage).

Distortion or bias in spatial analysis results near the boundaries of a study area (standard GIS usage).

The process of aligning features (such as lines or polygons) at the boundaries of adjacent map sheets or datasets (standard GIS usage).

The height of a geographic location above a reference point, usually mean sea level; essential for terrain analysis and modelling (standard GIS usage).

A digital representation of terrain elevations, such as a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), used in surface and hydrological analysis (standard GIS usage).

The process of converting spatial or attribute data into a digital format for storage and analysis (standard GIS usage).

A real-world object or feature represented in GIS as a point, line, or polygon, such as a hospital, river, or state border.

The minimum bounding rectangle that encloses a spatial feature or dataset, used for spatial queries and extent definition (standard GIS usage).

Spatial data relating to natural features, conditions, or processes, such as land cover, climate, or pollution (standard GIS usage).

A map projection that preserves distances from the center or along specific lines, important for certain spatial analyses (standard GIS usage).

The difference between measured or calculated values and the true values, important for assessing data quality (standard GIS usage).