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Geographic data terms and definitions
The following information is provided to help as an introduction to public sector mapping and some of the frequently used industry terms.
Please click on the questions below, to go to the relevant answer or additional resources.
Frequently asked questions
Q) What is Geographic Information?
Geographic Information (GI) is information about objects or features that are associated with a location relative to the surface of the earth. It’s often referred to as geospatial data. Geographic information can be stored in computer files that can then be loaded into a Geographic Information system (GIS).
Learn more about GI and GIS here.
Watch the video about Geographic Information systems.
Q) What is scale?
Scale in terms of mapping, is how much you would have to enlarge a map so it is the size of the land it represents. For example a printed map at 1:25 000 scale means that every 1 unit on the map represents 25 000 units on the ground.
Learn more about map scales here
To learn more about scale, Watch the video about scale on our support site.
Q) What is the National Grid?
The national grid provides a unique grid system which can be applied to all Ordnance Survey maps of Great Britain at all scales. A grid reference is used to locate a position on a map/on the grid.
Learn more about the National Grid here.
Watch the video about the National Grid on our support site.
Q) What is raster and vector mapping?
Raster mapping is image based mapping. It looks like an Ordnance Survey paper map. As you zoom in closer, like any digital image, the picture eventually becomes more pixelated (shows as a series of small squares) when you get very close up to it. What you see is what you get with a raster image.
Vector mapping is different - it is made up of intelligent layers of information which can be switched on/off. As you zoom in or out of a vector map the image does not pixelate like a raster map image and the information may change from one 'layer' to another.
Learn more about raster and vector mapping by watching the video on our support site.
Where can I get more help?
If you need further assistance, please also visit our support page.