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buffer

  1. [spatial analysis] A zone around a map feature measured in units of distance or time. A buffer is useful for proximity analysis. buffer Illustration
  2. [spatial analysis] A polygon enclosing a point, line, or polygon at a specified distance.
  3. [computing] Space on a computer disk or RAM that has been allocated for temporary storage. This temporary storage may also be called a spooler when it is used to hold data in memory before the data is sent to another machine, such as a printer.