Georeference

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

To georeference something is used to define its existence in physical space. This procedure is imperative to data modeling in the field of GIS and other cartographic methods. One can georeference a set of points, lines, polygons, images, or 3d structures. For instance, a GPS device will record latitude and longitude coordinates for a given point of interest, effectively georeferencing this point. A georeference must be a unique identifier (this helps when putting things in terms of computing such as writing software). In other words, there must be only one location for which a georeference references. Georeferencing is also crucial to making aerial and satellite imagery useful for mapping as it explains how other data, such as the above GPS points, relate to the imagery.