MOC - Geospatial
Overview
Map of Content for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and geospatial technologies. This covers spatial data management, analysis, visualization, standards, and related tools.
Architecture & Concepts
Foundational knowledge for building modern geospatial systems:
| Note | Description |
|---|---|
| Cloud Native Geospatial Architecture | Architectural principles for modern cloud-native GIS systems |
| Spatial Indexing Trade-offs | When to use H3 vs S2 vs traditional spatial indexes |
| Row vs Columnar Geospatial Formats | Understanding GeoJSON vs GeoParquet trade-offs |
Curated Lists
Data Sources & Providers
| List | Description |
|---|---|
| List - Federal Geospatial Data Sources | USGS, FEMA, Census, NOAA, and federal data sources |
| List - Property Data Platforms | Parcel data providers and property intelligence APIs |
| List - Building Footprint Datasets | Open building footprint datasets (Microsoft, Google, Overture) |
Standards & Organizations
| List | Description |
|---|---|
| List - GIS Standards Organizations | OGC, ISO TC 211, FGDC, and standards bodies |
| List - GIS Open Standards | Comprehensive OGC, ISO, and industry standards reference |
| List - OGC Web Service Standards | WMS, WFS, OGC API, and service specifications |
Tools & Libraries
| List | Description |
|---|---|
| List - GIS Web Mapping Libraries | JavaScript libraries for interactive maps (Leaflet, MapLibre, etc.) |
| List - R Geospatial Packages | R packages for spatial analysis, visualization, and data access |
| List - Spatial Databases | PostGIS, Supabase, DuckDB spatial extensions |
| List - GIS AI Tools | AI-powered GIS tools and geospatial machine learning |
| List - Routing and Navigation Services | Routing engines, geocoding, and accessibility APIs |
Guides
| Guide | Description |
|---|---|
| Guide - Geospatial File Format Selection | Choosing the right format for your use case |
| Guide - ArcGIS REST API | Working with Esri’s ArcGIS REST services |
Key Definitions
Data Formats
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| GeoJSON | JSON-based format for encoding geographic data |
| GeoParquet | Columnar format for efficient geospatial storage |
| GeoTIFF | Raster format with embedded georeferencing |
| Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF (COG) | Cloud-native raster format |
| PMTiles | Single-file tile archive format |
| Mapbox Vector Tile (MVT) | Vector tile specification |
| Shapefile | Legacy vector format (use GeoPackage instead) |
| GeoPackage | OGC SQLite-based container format |
Web Services
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Web Map Service (WMS) | OGC standard for map image rendering |
| Web Feature Service (WFS) | OGC standard for vector feature access |
| Web Coverage Service (WCS) | OGC standard for raster coverage access |
| Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) | OGC standard for pre-rendered tiles |
| SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog (STAC) | Metadata and discovery standard |
| OGC API - Features | Modern RESTful vector data API |
Spatial Concepts
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Geographic Information System (GIS) | Definition and overview |
| Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) | Standards development organization |
| Digital Elevation Model (DEM) | Grid-based elevation representation |
| Hexagonal Hierarchical Spatial Index (H3) | Uber’s hexagonal grid system |
| OpenStreetMap (OSM) | Collaborative mapping project |
| Projection | Map projection fundamentals |
| Datum | Geodetic datum reference |
| Coordinates | Coordinate systems and CRS |
Database & Tools
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| PostGIS | PostgreSQL spatial extension |
| Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) | GDAL/OGR toolkit |
| QGIS | Open source desktop GIS |
| Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) | US Census geography |
Geometry Types
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Point | Zero-dimensional geometry |
| LineString | One-dimensional geometry |
| Polygon | Two-dimensional geometry |
| MultiPolygon | Collection of polygons |
| Feature | Geometry with attributes |
| Layer | Collection of features |
Geographic Units
| Term | Description |
|---|---|
| Parcel | Land ownership boundary |
| Census Tract (CT) | Census geography unit |
| Block Group (BG) | Census block group |
| ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) | ZIP code approximation |
| Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) | Metropolitan/micropolitan areas |
Core Tools
Desktop GIS
Web Mapping
- Leaflet.js - Lightweight web mapping
- MapLibre - Open source map rendering
- Mapbox - Commercial mapping platform
- OpenLayers - Feature-rich web mapping
- deck.gl - Large-scale data visualization
- kepler.gl - Geospatial data visualization
Data Processing
- Apache Arrow - Columnar memory format
- DuckDB - Analytical database with spatial support
- tippecannoe - Vector tile generation
- GeoServer - Open source map server
Related MOCs
Parent/Broader MOCs
- MOC - Data Science - Geospatial as a data science domain
- MOC - Development - Software development context
Sibling MOCs (Same Level)
- MOC - Data Engineering - Data pipelines and ETL for spatial data
- MOC - Cloud - Cloud platforms for GIS infrastructure
- MOC - Databases - Spatial database systems (PostGIS, DuckDB)
Language-Specific MOCs
- MOC - R - R geospatial packages (sf, terra, leaflet)
- MOC - Python - Python geospatial stack (GeoPandas, Shapely, Fiona)
- MOC - JavaScript - Web mapping libraries (Leaflet, MapLibre, deck.gl)
Domain MOCs
- MOC - Business - Real estate, property, and location intelligence
- MOC - Statistics - Spatial statistics and geostatistics