Question

In GIS, buffer is a zone with a specified width surrounding a spatial feature. Which of the following statements regarding buffer is CORRECT?

• A. \( \text{For a point feature, buffer is an ellipse with minor and major axes as buffer distances} \)
• B. \( \text{For a polygon feature, buffer is a band with a specified distance created around the line conforming to the line's curve} \)
• C. \( \text{Buffer zones are polylines} \)
• D. \( \text{For a polygon feature, buffer is a belt of a specified distance from the edge of the polygon and conforming to its shape} \)

Hint:

Visualize a buffer around a polygon as an expansion or contraction of that shape by a fixed distance.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

For a polygon feature in GIS, a buffer is created as a zone of a specified distance extending outward (or inward) from the boundary of the polygon, and this buffer zone conforms to the shape of the original polygon. For a point feature, the buffer is typically a circle, and for a line feature, it's a band along the line. Buffer zones are typically polygons themselves, not polylines.