Glossary of Planning and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Terms

Glossary is usually defined as an alphabetical list of technical terms in some specialized field of knowledge. This knowledge base glossary provides a collection of knowledge base documents that define many technical terms. These terms are arranged alphabetically, but you can quickly jump to a specific term by selecting its first letter from the index of the knowledge base glossary below.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Keyword

Term
Far
The ratio of the gross floor area of a building to the area of the lot on which it is located.
Feature Attribute Table
A table used to store attribute information for a specific coverage feature class. ArcInfo maintains the first several items of these tables. Feature attribute tables supported for coverages include: < COVER>.PAT for polygons or points < COVER>.AAT for arcs < COVER>.NAT for nodes < COVER>.RAT for routes < COVER>.SEC for sections < COVER>.PAT for regions < COVER>.TAT for annotation (text) where is the coverage name.
Feature Class
A classification describing the format of geographic features and supporting data in a coverage. Coverage feature classes for representing geographic features include point, arc, node, route-system, route, section, polygon and region. One or more coverage features are used to model geographic features; for example, arcs and nodes can be used to model linear features such as street centerlines. The tic, annotation, link, and boundary feature classes provide supporting data for coverage data management and viewing.
Final Plat
The final detailed drawing (to scale) of a tract of land, depicting the proposed division of the tract into lots, blocks, streets, alleys, or other areas within a proposed subdivision. (See Subtitle 24 for further information regarding Subdivisions.)
Fixed Guideway Transit (Fgt)
Transit service provided on its own right-of-way: a rail track, physically restricted vehicle lanes, or a dedicated roadway in the road and highway system. Both the Metrorail regional rapid transit and MARC commuter rail systems that serve Prince George's County are FGT systems.
Flag Lot
A flag-shaped lot, created under the Optional Residential Design Approach provisions of Subtitle 24, which has a street frontage smaller than that other required for the zone in which it is located.
Floating Zone
A zone that is more flexible than euclidean zones in terms of permissible densities, intensities and land uses and overall development design opportunities. Most floating zones require the following findings by the District Council to be granted: 1) The proposed zone is in conformance with the Master Plan; 2) Is compatible with the surrounding community; and 3) Meets the purposes of the zone. Findings of change or mistake, required for granting a euclidean zone, are not required for floating zones. Some floating zones require Master Plan recommendation.
Floating Zone
A zone that is more flexible than euclidean zones in terms of permissible densities, intensities and land uses and overall development design opportunities. Most floating zones require the following findings by the District Council to be granted: 1) The proposed zone is in conformance with the Master Plan; 2) Is compatible with the surrounding community; and 3) Meets the purposes of the zone. Findings of change or mistake, required for granting a euclidean zone, are not required for floating zones. Some floating zones require Master Plan recommendation.
Floodplain
A relatively flat or lowland area adjoining a river, stream, or watercourse, which is subject to periodic, partial or complete inundation.
Floor Area Ratio (Far)
The ratio of the gross floor area of a building to the area of the lot on which it is located.
Forecast
As defined for use in the Council of Governments (COG) Cooperative Forecasting Program, a projection tempered by stated policy considerations, including the reconciliation of past and current trends with current and future policies. Ideally, forecasts reflect the best professional judgment concerning the impact of trends and present conditions on the future trend of development and the likely effectiveness of policies to alter this trend. Therefore, forecasts should represent the most realistic assessment of the future.
Forest Stand Delineation
A detailed accounting of woody vegetation, prepared in document form, as required by the Prince George's County Woodland Conservation and Tree Preservation Policy Document.
Freeway
A divided highway for through traffic with full control of access and interchanges at selected public roads only.
Functional Plan
A plan for a specific, generally Countywide concern, such as highways, schools, hospitals, or fire stations.
Functional Plans
Map and supporting text that comprehensively cover a specific topic (such as public safety, transportation or historic preservation) for the entire county.
Fuzzy Tolerance
The fuzzy tolerance is an extremely small distance used to resolve inexact intersection locations due to limited arithmetic precision of computers. It defines the resolution of a coverage resulting from the CLEAN operation or a topological overlay operation such as UNION, INTERSECT, or CLIP.