Glossary
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Active Layer:  The active layer is the layer which button and tool actions or corresponding menu commands are applied too. An active layer appears with a light blue background  in the table of contents.
Attribute:  Characteristic of a geographic feature described by numbers or letters, typically stored in tabular format and linked to the feature in a relational database. The attributes of a parcel might include PIN, address, and owner. 
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Buffer:  A zone or area around (a) feature(s) measured in units of distance or time.
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Extent:  The minimum sized rectangle that all data from (a) layer(s) fall within.
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Feature:  A representation of a real-world object on a map, such as a parcel, street, or address.
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Geocoding:  The process of identifying an approximated location by  x,y coordinates from a location description such as an address. For example, an address can be matched against Buncombe County's street centerline file to determine an approximated x,y coordinate.
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Layer:  The visual representation of related geographic data.  A layer maybe roads, rivers,  or parcels.
Legend:  The symbology used to represent geographic data in a layer.
Legend Swatch:  The geometric shape of either a line or a polygon that is used to represent a specific kind of feature in a legend and in the table of contents. 
Logical Operator:  An operator used to compare logical expressions that returns a result of true or false. Examples of logical operators include less than (<), greater than (>), equal to (=), and not equal to (<>).
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Map Service:  A predefined set of layers and their associated symbology.   Used in mapAsheville to convey a particular subject matter such as development activity, economic development, public transportation, or crime.
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Selected Set or Feature:  A subset of features in a layer, or records in a table, that is chosen by the software user.
Selection Method:  The process of a new selection set and its interaction with the existing selection set.  Examples are adding new selections to the existing selection set and Removing new selections from the existing selection set.
Scale:  The ratio or relationship between a distance or area on a map and the corresponding distance or area on the ground, commonly expressed as a fraction or ratio. A map scale of 1/100,000 or 1:100,000 means that one unit of measure on the map equals 100,000 of the same unit on the earth.
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