What is meant by continuous phenomena in geographic data?

Continuous phenomena in geographic data refer to variables that can take on a range of values across space. These phenomena are characterized by their ability to vary incrementally without discrete breaks, unlike categorical or discrete phenomena, which have distinct values or categories.

The emphasis on locations with varying values such as elevation illustrates how continuous phenomena manifest in geographic information systems (GIS). Elevation is a classic example because it changes smoothly over space rather than jumping from one value to another; you can have any value between the minimum and maximum elevations, reflecting a gradient rather than fixed points.

In contrast, features that can be counted or measured at fixed points refer to discrete data, which does not capture the variability across a surface as continuous data does. Similarly, while a measure of changes over time may relate to continuous phenomena, the focus is more on temporal dynamics rather than spatial variation. Thus, understanding continuous phenomena involves recognizing how attributes like elevation or temperature fluctuate smoothly over geographic areas.