ABSTRACT
Geographical data describe natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable, as well as cultural and human resources. The spatial distribution of such phenomena is usually shown graphically on maps, charts, or images. Alternatively, the data may be in the form of lists of variables that are grouped by location and related to places shown on maps. Typically the data appear as maps and images that describe such things as topography, soils, vegetation, water, surface geology, land use, administrative boundaries, lease boundaries, land ownership, tribal lands, census districts, population distribution, income distribution, incidence of disease, land values, and so on, or they are statistical data sets that can be related to such maps.
