From dfd456e86a3d331ae76a798a02d330e2a31fa66e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Matthew Neilson Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2025 11:22:17 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Add explanation for use of `sf` package Add link to the Wikipedia entry for Simple Features, and statement about other software that implement the Simple Features Access standard, to provide context for students on why the `sf` package is used for vector data in these lessons --- episodes/06-vector-open-shapefile-in-r.Rmd | 11 +++++++---- 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/episodes/06-vector-open-shapefile-in-r.Rmd b/episodes/06-vector-open-shapefile-in-r.Rmd index 901335201..dd5086cd1 100644 --- a/episodes/06-vector-open-shapefile-in-r.Rmd +++ b/episodes/06-vector-open-shapefile-in-r.Rmd @@ -52,10 +52,13 @@ into a single plot. ## Import Vector Data -We will use the `sf` package to work with vector data in R. `sf` stands for simple features. -We will also use the `terra` package, which has been loaded in previous episodes, so we can -explore raster and vector spatial metadata using similar commands. Make sure -you have the `sf` library loaded. +We will use the `sf` package to work with vector data in R. `sf` stands for +[simple features](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Features), an international standard for +representing spatial data that is used widely by databases (e.g., PostGIS) and other open source +geospatial software (e.g., GDAL). We will also use the `terra` package, which has been loaded +in previous episodes, so we can explore raster and vector spatial metadata using similar commands. + +Make sure you have the `sf` library loaded. ```{r load-sf, results="hide", eval=FALSE, message=FALSE} library(sf)