Static and dynamic geospatial data
Geospatial data can typically be viewed as static or dynamic. Static geospatial data is data that does not change over a short-term time period. This data can include things such as the epicenter of an earthquake, the location of a store, or the number of college-educated adults. Dynamic geospatial data, in contrast, can change in real time. This data can include the location of a shopper within a shopping mall, the position of a bike courier delivering food, or the spread of an infectious disease such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. Dynamic geospatial data is often referred to as spatiotemporal data, or data relating to both space and time. Static and dynamic geospatial data comes in two formats: vector and raster. We’ll discuss them in detail in the following section.
