What does the term 'spatial query' refer to?

The term 'spatial query' specifically pertains to how geographic information systems (GIS) manipulate and analyze data based on spatial relationships. A spatial query allows users to retrieve data based on the location and spatial characteristics of features. This means that the query looks for relationships such as proximity, containment, intersection, and adjacency among geographic features. By focusing on the spatial attributes and relationships, spatial queries enable users to find not just any data, but data that is relevant to specific geographical contexts—like finding all parks within a certain distance from a school or identifying all properties that fall within a flood zone.

In contrast, other types of queries do not take spatial relationships into account. For instance, queries that use statistical methods are usually focused on numerical analysis and do not consider geographic factors, while those based solely on textual input ignore spatial dimensions entirely. Queries that summarize data across various datasets may focus on overall trends and aggregations without regard to how the data is located or related geographically. Thus, the distinctiveness of a spatial query lies in its ability to incorporate physical location and spatial relationships, making option C the most accurate definition.