What is the role of geocoding in GIS?

Geocoding plays a crucial role in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) by converting addresses or descriptions into geographic coordinates. This process allows users to identify and represent locations on a map based on textual data, such as street addresses, city names, or other descriptive phrases. Once the addresses are transformed into latitude and longitude coordinates, they can be visualized, analyzed, and manipulated within GIS applications.

Geocoding is essential for various applications, including location-based services, mapping, urban planning, and emergency response management, as it enables the integration of non-spatial data (like addresses) into spatial databases. By doing so, it allows for easier data analysis and decision-making based on geographic relationships.

While the other options pertain to important GIS functions, they do not accurately capture the essence of geocoding. Analyzing spatial relationships involves understanding how different spatial features interact, calculating distances focuses on measuring proximity between points, and converting geographic coordinates into addresses describes a reverse process known as reverse geocoding.