Point, line and polygon in field mapping
Most mapping and GIS work starts with points, lines and polygons.
Field takeaways
- A point represents one location.
- A line represents length and route.
- A polygon represents a closed area.
- Wrong geometry type creates area and export confusion.
- MapLab Survey collects all three as layers.
Three geometries, three questions
A point marks a location, a line measures a length and a polygon measures an area. Choosing the wrong one at capture time means recapturing later, because you cannot reliably turn a track into a boundary.
Pick by what you will need
A manhole is a point. A pipe run or an access road is a line. A parcel, a work area or an excavation footprint is a polygon.
Attributes belong to the geometry
Whatever you capture, attach the code, the date and a photo to the feature itself, not to a separate note.
Export accordingly
CAD wants lines and polygons on clean layers; a GIS wants attributes with the geometry. Decide the destination before you start.
See it in action
MapLab Survey | Professional Mobile GIS, GPS Surveying & Land Measurement App
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MapLab Survey handles RTK/GNSS point capture, drawing, area and volume calculations and coordinate conversion, then exports to DXF, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON, Shapefile, GeoPackage, NCZ or CSV. Capture, calculation and export work offline. Live NTRIP corrections and online basemaps need a connection.
Frequently asked questions
What is a polygon?
A closed area geometry.
Line or polygon?
Line is a path, polygon is an area.
When is point used?
For single-location features.
Does MapLab Survey support them?
Yes.
Technical references
The field guidance in this article is aligned with the technical and official references below.
Related: Area measurement app · Measure map distance · Exporting field data to CAD/GIS · MapLab Survey