7 Fundamentals of Spatial Analysis Free Online FlashCards

What does spatial analysis use to answer geographic questions?

Spatial analysis uses the locations and shapes of geographic features to answer questions about where things are, how they relate, and how patterns vary across an area.

How does a spatial query differ from a spatial analysis operation?

A spatial query tests a condition involving location or geometry; a spatial analysis operation creates or summarizes information based on spatial relationships.

What determines which features are chosen by attribute selection?

Attribute selection chooses features using table values, such as selecting parcels whose land-use type is “commercial.”

What does the spatial predicate “intersects” mean?

Intersects means two geometries share at least one point; they may overlap or simply touch.

What is a buffer in spatial analysis?

A buffer is a polygonal area within a specified distance of an input feature. It can represent a radius around a point or a corridor along a line.

When might a within-distance query be preferable to a buffer?

A direct within-distance query may be preferable when the goal is simply to find features within a distance, rather than to construct buffer polygons.

How does a nearest-feature query differ from a within-distance query?

A within-distance query finds features at or below a chosen distance. A nearest-feature query finds the closest feature, which may still be farther than an acceptable distance.

What does overlay do beyond visually placing maps on top of each other?

Overlay computes spatial relationships or new geometries by combining layers; it can also transfer attributes into the result.

What geometry does an intersect operation keep?

Intersect keeps the shared portions of input features. If the inputs do not overlap, their intersection is empty.

How can spatial summaries compare patterns across areas more fairly?

Spatial summaries aggregate measures such as counts, lengths, or areas by location. For fair comparisons across differently sized or populated areas, consider a rate or density and state its denominator.

What determines which features are chosen by spatial selection?

Spatial selection chooses features according to their geometric relationship to another feature or layer.

What boundary detail matters when using within or contains?

Within and contains describe one geometry lying inside another, but exact boundary behavior depends on the predicate used.