Raster Data

Overview

Raster data is a common data format used in GIS to represent spatial data that is continuous, such as elevation or temperature. It is composed of a grid of cells, with each cell containing a single value that represents a measurement or observation of a particular variable at a specific location. The cells are arranged in rows and columns, and the grid can be thought of as a two-dimensional matrix of values. Raster data is widely used in GIS applications for a variety of purposes, such as terrain analysis, climate modeling, and land use mapping.

Furthermore, raster data can be seamlessly integrated with other spatial data types, such as vector data, to perform combined spatial and topological analysis for a more comprehensive understanding of the spatial patterns and relationships in a given area. For instance, a digital elevation model (DEM), a form of raster data, can be used to derive the river channels (vectors), or the total accumulated rain in a watershed can be obtained from a rainfall raster, like in the following example.