What does overlay analysis in GIS primarily rely on?

Overlay analysis in GIS primarily relies on Boolean logic, which enables the combination and evaluation of spatial data layers based on specific conditions. In overlay analysis, different layers of geographic information are combined to assess the spatial relationships between them, which often involves identifying whether certain criteria are met (true or false).

For instance, if you have two layers—one representing land use and another representing zoning regulations—Boolean logic can be employed to identify areas where specific types of land use coincide with certain zoning designations. This analysis might utilize operators such as AND, OR, and NOT to produce new output layers that depict areas meeting the combined conditions.

The other options are relevant to various spatial analyses but do not specifically pertain to the fundamental mechanism of overlay analysis. Geometric transformation relates more to manipulating the geometry of points, lines, and polygons rather than as a method of analysis. Spatial interpolation is concerned with estimating values at unmeasured locations based on values from sampled points, while time series analysis focuses on examining data points collected or recorded at different times, which does not directly inform the principles of overlay analysis.