When two adjacent features share a common boundary, what term describes this relationship?

The term that describes the relationship between two adjacent features that share a common boundary is adjacency. This concept is fundamental in geographic information systems, as it denotes the spatial relationship where two features are next to each other without overlapping. Adjacency is critical for many GIS analyses, such as understanding urban development patterns, analyzing land-use changes, or modeling networks.

In GIS, recognizing adjacency allows for effective spatial queries and improves data management since it helps delineate areas of influence and interaction among neighboring entities. While contiguity may seem similar, it often refers to the property of being connected or touching in a broader sense and may include features that are not strictly adjacent but still influence or relate to one another within a larger spatial context. This distinction further solidifies why adjacency is the accurate term to describe the immediate relationship between two features sharing a boundary.