ThinkGeo Basics: Feature Sources
This post is the first in a series of ‘ThinkGeo Basics’ where we will explore the basics of building a map. Today we’ll start out with the foundation of any project - the data.
In GIS, a feature source refers to a collection of geographic features that provide spatial data for analysis, visualization, and mapping. A feature source can come in various forms, including:
Vector Data: This includes points, lines, and polygons that represent real-world geographic features. Vector feature sources can be in the form of shapefiles, geodatabases, or other formats like GeoJSON or KML.
Raster Data: Raster feature sources consist of gridded images where each cell, or pixel, represents a specific value or attribute. These datasets can be satellite imagery, aerial photographs, elevation models (DEM), or other types of raster data.
Tabular Data: While not inherently spatial, tabular data can also be considered a feature source in GIS if it contains attributes related to geographic locations. This can include data tables with addresses, coordinates, or other identifiers that can be spatially referenced.
Web Services: Feature sources can also be accessed through web services, such as web mapping services (WMS), web feature services (WFS), or tile services (XYZ or TMS). These services allow remote access to spatial data hosted on servers and are commonly used in web-based mapping applications.
To see if your data format is supported you can check out our list of Supported Data Formats. You can also find many samples using the most popular data formats in our ‘HowDoI’ samples here.
If you have a custom data source that’s not listed in the Supported Data Formats, our FeatureSources are easily extensible. Check out our Extensibility Guide for an overview. Or, you can also check out our ‘HowDoI’ samples here and look for the ‘Extending Feature Sources’ under the Extensibility section. This sample shows how you can easily build your own Feature Source with a .csv, but the same concept can easily be applied to any other custom data store.
If you have any questions on displaying your data, please contact sales@thinkgeo.com and we will be happy to help in evaluating your options.
The first step is to sign up for a free evaluation and start building today!
