What is geospatial data?


Geographic data and information, also known as geospatial data, is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as data and information having an implicit or explicit association with a location relative to Earth (a geographic location or geographic position). It is also called geospatial data and information,[citation needed] georeferenced data and information,[citation needed] as well as geodata and geoinformation.[citation needed]

Approximately 90% of government sourced data has a location component. Location information (known by the many names mentioned here) is stored in a geographic information system (GIS).

There are also many different types of geodata, including vector files, raster files, geographic databases, web files, and multi-temporal data.

Spatial data or spatial information is broader class of data whose geometry is relevant but it is not necessarily georeferenced, such as in computer-aided design (CAD), see geometric modeling.