Encoding is the process of converting data to a form readable by the
computer and writing the data to the GIS database. Much of the data collected
today is encoded in a digital format. Data in analog form, such as paper
maps, can be digitized through use of a scanner or a digitizing table and
pointer. Once the data is in digital format it must be encoded, or converted,
to a format specific to the GIS software package being used.
Encode
