Can area be calculated on a raster?

Area can indeed be calculated on a raster. This is possible because raster data consists of a grid of cells, where each cell represents a value for a specific geographic area. Each of these cells has a defined size, often measured in square meters or square kilometers, depending on the spatial resolution of the raster.

To calculate the area, the total number of cells that meet a certain criterion (for example, those above a specific elevation or those classified as a particular land cover type) can be summed. By multiplying this count by the area represented by each cell, the total area can be derived. This process allows analysts to determine areas for various applications, such as land use analysis, habitat studies, and environmental assessments.

In contrast, while vector data commonly represents areas using polygons, which makes area calculation straightforward, raster data also provides a viable format for such calculations, demonstrating the versatility of GIS in handling different data types for spatial analysis.