GIS Dictionary

The GIS Dictionary provides definitions for GIS terms related to operations such as analysis, GIS modeling and web-based GIS, cartography, and Esri software.

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centroid

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  1. [data capture] The geometric center of a feature. For line, polygon, or three-dimensional features, it is the center of mass (or center of gravity) and may fall inside the feature, as shown below for a triangle, or outside the feature, as shown below for a complex line. For multipoints, polylines, or polygons with multiple parts, it is computed using the weighted mean center of all feature parts. The weight for a point feature is 1, for a line feature is its length, and for polygon features is its area. Media\G43191_Centroid-Illus_7-10.gif
  2. [cartography] The center of area; the balance point or center of gravity.

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