GIS Fundamentals

In this chapter, you will learn the foundation of Geographic Information System (GIS) and spatial data. Although you do not need to understand these subjects in great depth to take advantage of the features of GeoServer, we will give you the basic information required to understand what you will be learning in this book. This chapter will introduce you to the magic of spatial data and processing.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Why spatial data is special
• Spatial data formats
• The magical world of Spatial Reference System (SRS)
• What is a map and why does it matter?
• The art of Cartography.

By the end of this chapter, you will have the basic skills to identify which spatial data format best suits your needs.