geographicinformation

Geographic information refers to data that describe the location, extent, attributes, and relationships of phenomena on the Earth's surface. It encompasses both the geographic coordinates that locate objects and the descriptive attributes that characterize them, enabling spatial analysis and visualization. Geographic information is used in mapmaking, planning, and research and is often stored in geospatial databases and managed by geographic information systems (GIS).

Geographic data come in two primary formats: vector data, which represent features as points, lines, and polygons, and raster data, which represent continuous fields as gridded cells. Data are referenced to a coordinate system or projection, such as the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) or a regional CRS, to enable distance and area calculations. Metadata describe data provenance, quality, scale, and lineage, supporting interoperability and reuse.

Sources of geographic information include official mapping agencies, satellite and aerial imagery, global positioning systems, surveys, and increasingly, crowdsourced and volunteered geographic information. Data quality varies by source and method, with aspects such as accuracy, resolution, completeness, and timeliness influencing suitability for a given task.

Applications span urban planning, environmental monitoring, transportation, disaster response, public health, and business analytics. Geographic information is processed and analyzed with GIS, spatial analysis, cartography, and emerging tools such as web mapping and geospatial APIs. Standards organizations, including the Open Geospatial Consortium and ISO, develop specifications for data format, metadata, and interoperability to support sharing and reuse. Ethical and privacy considerations, licensing, and data stewardship are integral to responsible use of geographic information.