Types of location data

Geographic data types can be divided into two broad categories:

• Vector data: This is represented as points, lines, or polygons. The data is likely created by digitizing it and storing information in longitude and latitude. This type of data is useful for storing data that has discrete and distinct boundaries such as borders, land parcels, streets, and points of interest. 
• Raster data: This stores information in cells and therefore is suitable for storing data that is continuous, such as satellite images, elevation models, and other aerial photographs.