Geodesic
Measurements or operations computed on the curved Earth model rather than a flat plane.
Category: CRS & Coordinates
Definition (expanded)
Geodesic distance, area, and buffering account for Earth curvature. Planar computations can be fine for small areas but drift at large scales or high latitudes. If accuracy matters, use the method required by your workflow.
Related terms
CRS (Coordinate Reference System)A definition of how coordinates map to real locations on Earth, including projection, datum, and units.EPSG:4326 (WGS84 lon/lat)A common coordinate reference system using longitude/latitude on WGS84.BufferCreates a new geometry expanded (or shrunk) by a distance around the input geometry.AreaThe surface size of a polygon, usually reported in square meters or square kilometers.ProjectionA mathematical method for mapping the curved Earth to a flat plane, which affects distance, area, and shape.