The process of examining the locations, attributes, and relationships of geographic features in spatial data to find patterns and answer geographic questions.
Spatial analysis goes beyond mapping. It uses the geographic relationships between features — proximity, containment, overlap, distance — to answer questions that cannot be answered by looking at attribute data alone. Common spatial analysis operations include buffering, overlay, network analysis, and spatial statistics.
Example: A public health team wants to identify neighbourhoods that are more than 1 km from a pharmacy. They perform a spatial analysis: buffer all pharmacy locations by 1 km, then identify residential areas that fall outside those buffers. The result is a map of underserved areas that guides resource allocation decisions.
Spatial analysis is the core capability that distinguishes GIS from simple mapping tools. It transforms geographic data into actionable insights.