The terms GIS and geospatial are often used interchangeably.
GIS refers to a system where geographic information is stored in layers and integrated with geographic software programs so that spatial information can be created, stored, manipulated, analyzed, and visualized (mapped).
The term geospatial is used to define the collective data and associated technology has a geographic or locational component. This means that the records in a dataset have locational information tied to them such as geographic data in the form of coordinates, address, city, or ZIP code.
GIS data is a form of geospatial data. Other geospatial data can originate from GPS data, satellite imagery, and geotagging.
Geospatial technology refers to all of the technology used to acquire, manipulate, and store geographic information. GIS is one form of geospatial technology.
