What are rasters primarily used to represent in geospatial analysis?

Rasters are primarily used to represent continuous surfaces in geospatial analysis. This format is particularly effective for depicting phenomena that vary smoothly across a landscape, such as elevation, temperature, or vegetation density. In a raster dataset, each cell (or pixel) contains a value that corresponds to a specific attribute of the continuous variable being measured. For example, in a digital elevation model (DEM), each cell represents a specific elevation value over a geographic area, thus providing a continuous surface that shows variations in height across the terrain.

The raster format is particularly useful in various analyses, such as surface modeling, hydrological studies, and spatial interpolation, where understanding the gradient and continuity of the data is essential for interpretation and decision-making. This capability differentiates rasters from other data formats, making them indispensable for certain types of geospatial studies.