Advanced GIS Practice Exam

A subtype field is used to categorize features or records in a dataset based on a set of specified conditions. This categorization allows for better organization and management of the data, enabling specific behaviors or rules to be applied to different subtypes.

Short integers and long integers are appropriate choices for a subtype field because they are integer data types that can represent distinct categories effectively. Using numeric types allows for efficient storage, indexing, and overall performance in spatial databases. They can easily facilitate the storage of integer values that might represent different categories or classifications within a broader dataset, such as types of land use, species, or infrastructure classifications.

On the other hand, while numeric data types in general can represent categories, not all numeric types are suitable for subtypes. For example, certain floating-point representations like double and float may introduce complexities due to their ability to represent decimal values, which do not lend themselves well to clear categorical distinctions. Similarly, text fields, despite being able to represent categories, are less efficient for performance in terms of storage and indexing than integer types. Therefore, using short and long integers offers a more streamlined and effective way to implement subtyping in GIS applications.