GIS Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield GIS facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. The Robinson projection is best described as: → A compromise projection designed to minimize overall visual distortion for world maps
2. What does EPSG stand for in the context of spatial reference systems? → European Petroleum Survey Group
3. A spatial lag model in spatial econometrics is characterized by: → Including a spatially weighted average of the dependent variable as a predictor
4. Which GIS file format is an open standard commonly used to exchange vector geospatial data in engineering projects? → GeoJSON
5. In terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), what is a 'scan registration' or 'point cloud registration'? → Aligning multiple individual scan positions into a single unified coordinate system
6. What does a 'false easting' value accomplish in a projected coordinate system? → It shifts the origin eastward to keep all X coordinates positive
7. In QGIS Python scripting (PyQGIS), what does the 'processing.run()' function do? → Executes a QGIS processing algorithm programmatically with specified parameters
8. During GIS project closure, what is the primary purpose of conducting a lessons-learned session? → To document successes and failures for improving future GIS projects
9. In hydrology GIS, what operation fills sinks in a DEM before delineating watersheds? → Fill Sinks (Depression Filling)
10. What does the Critical Path Method (CPM) identify in a GIS project schedule? → The longest sequence of dependent tasks determining minimum project duration
11. In a Lambert Conformal Conic projection, which areas experience the least scale distortion? → Along the standard parallels
12. Which GIS technique is used to model the flow of traffic or resources through a network to identify congestion points or bottlenecks? → Network flow analysis
13. What is the main advantage of vector data over raster data for representing discrete features like roads? → Vector data precisely represents boundaries and lines without pixelation
14. Which measurement scale allows only categorization and labeling with no implied order or mathematical relationship? → Nominal
15. Which protocol is commonly used to stream real-time geographic features to a web map as they are updated? → WebSockets or Server-Sent Events (SSE)
16. The GIS gathers and examines ______ data. → Both Spatial and Geographic
17. Which JavaScript library is specifically designed for 3D globe and terrain visualization in a web browser, often used for satellite imagery and 3D city models? → CesiumJS
18. What is the primary advantage of hyperspectral imagery over multispectral imagery? → Hundreds of narrow contiguous spectral bands enabling material identification
19. Which network analysis solver identifies the nearest facility to a set of incidents from a list of candidate facilities? → Closest facility solver
20. Which concept describes the ability of a network edge to be traveled in only one direction? → One-way restriction
21. Which road network attribute is used to model elevation to prevent false connections at overpasses and underpasses? → Z-level or elevation field
22. The Gnomonic projection has the unique property that: → Great circles appear as straight lines
23. What is 'map tiling' at zoom level 0 in a standard web map (e.g., OpenStreetMap)? → The entire world is covered by a single 256×256 pixel tile
24. Which privilege is required for a database user to create new feature classes inside an enterprise geodatabase owned by another user? → CREATE TABLE privilege in the DBMS
25. What does the term 'scale' represent on a reference map? → The ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the Earth's surface
26. Which GIS data quality dimension measures how well spatial data represents its real-world location? → Positional accuracy
27. Which procurement document is used to invite vendors to propose solutions for a GIS enterprise platform implementation? → Request for Proposal (RFP)
28. Which data model represents geographic features as a continuous grid of cells, each with an assigned value? → Raster
29. Which type of coded value domain would you use to restrict the 'RoadClass' field to values like 'Local', 'Arterial', and 'Highway'? → Coded value domain
30. Which risk response strategy involves contracting a third-party vendor to handle data conversion in a GIS project? → Transfer