When would you typically use the "touch the boundary of" method?

The "touch the boundary of" method is utilized when the objective is to identify features that are exactly adjacent without any overlap. This approach is specifically designed to select spatial features that share a boundary line but do not intersect or overlap in area. For example, in a GIS scenario, if one is looking to find all parcels of land that share a boundary with a specific parcel, this method allows for selecting those that are directly next to it without including any that might have similar features due to overlapping areas.

In contrast, the other methods described in the choices serve different functions: identifying features that share an edge focuses on cases with shared lines, selecting based on centroid location pertains more to point-based analysis rather than spatial boundaries, and including all overlapping features is relevant when the goal is to encompass all areas that might intersect, rather than just those that touch without overlap. Thus, the "touch the boundary of" method aligns perfectly with the desired task of selecting adjacent yet non-overlapping features.