The vector and raster geospatial data we have looked at so far is generally used to provide images or information about the Earth itself. However, geospatial applications often have to place data onto the surface of the Earth, that is, georeference something such as a place or event. In this section, we will look at two additional databases that provide information about the location of cities, towns, natural features, and points of interest on the surface of the Earth.
This data can be used in two important ways. First, it can be used to label features, for example, to place the label "London" onto a georeferenced image of southern England. Secondly, this data can be used to locate something by name, for example, by allowing the user to choose a city from a drop-down list and then draw a map centered around that city.