In the context of geographic information systems (GIS), what is a feature layer associated with?

A feature layer in the context of geographic information systems (GIS) is fundamentally associated with attribute tables. Each feature layer represents a collection of geographic features that share a common theme or characteristic, such as roads, rivers, or land use types. The attribute table that accompanies a feature layer contains information about each feature, including various attributes that describe that feature.

For instance, if you have a feature layer representing schools, the attribute table would include columns for each school's name, address, number of students, and other relevant data. This allows users to not only visualize the geographic representation of the schools on a map but also to access and analyze the data associated with each school.

While feature layers may interact with other components such as spatial queries, which help filter and analyze the data based on location, and map scales, which affect how features are displayed, the core relationship is with the attribute tables that hold the detailed information about the features themselves. Colors on the map are more about visual representation and not directly tied to the information that defines the features in a layer.