Quick Insight
Vector data represents geographic features as points, lines, and polygons, with each feature defined by coordinates. A business location can be represented as a point, a road or river as a line, and a building footprint or property boundary as a polygon. Vector data can also store information, such as a name, category, or ID, alongside each geographic feature.
Why Vector Data Matters
- It represents precise geographic features: Vector data is well suited to features with clear boundaries, such as addresses, property lines, buildings, roads, and administrative boundaries.
- It supports detailed location analysis: Because each feature has defined geometry and coordinates, vector data can be used for tasks such as site selection, proximity analysis, boundary analysis, and network analysis.
- It connects shapes with useful information: A geographic feature can have attributes attached to it, such as a business name, category, address, or unique ID.
- It is widely used for location data: POI data, property data, address data, boundaries, streets, and building footprints are commonly represented as vector data.
The honest limits: Vector data is less suited to information that changes gradually across an area, such as temperature, elevation, or satellite imagery. Raster data is generally better suited to these continuous datasets.
Types of Vector Data
- Points: Represent a single location, such as a business, address, utility pole, or other point of interest.
- Lines: Represent connected paths, such as roads, rivers, railways, or utility networks.
- Polygons: Represent enclosed areas, such as building footprints, property parcels, lakes, or city boundaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What's the difference between vector and raster data?
Vector data uses points, lines, and polygons to represent geographic features with defined shapes and boundaries. Raster data represents geographic information as a grid of cells or pixels and is better suited to continuous data such as elevation, temperature, and satellite imagery.
2. What's an example of vector data?
A store’s location represented by coordinates is a point. A road represented as a connected path is a line. A property boundary represented as an enclosed area is a polygon. All three are examples of vector data.
3. What file formats store vector data?
Common vector data formats include Shapefile, GeoJSON, GeoPackage, and Well-Known Text (WKT).
4. Can vector data carry information beyond the shape?
Yes. Vector features can have attributes attached to their geometry. For example, a point representing a store could include its name, address, category, and ID.
5. Is POI data vector data?
Yes. POI data is commonly represented as point features, with each point marking the geographic location of a place or business. POI records can also include attributes such as the business name, category, address, and other information.
