What are Object Identifiers in GIS used for?

Object Identifiers, commonly referred to as OIDs, are essential in GIS because they serve as unique identifiers for entities or records within a dataset. Each object in a GIS layer is assigned a distinct Object Identifier that facilitates the management and retrieval of spatial and attribute information. This uniqueness ensures that each feature can be accurately referenced, updated, or deleted without confusion, thereby maintaining data integrity.

Using Object Identifiers is crucial for a multitude of GIS operations, such as data querying, feature editing, and relating data from different tables. They play a critical role in database management systems where relationships between tables are established, allowing for efficient data manipulation and analysis.

The other options do not align with the primary purpose of Object Identifiers. While visual styles are important for representation, they are not related to the unique identification of records. Similarly, tracking user interactions pertains to monitoring user behavior rather than identifying data records. Highlighting data layers may indicate their presence in a project, but it does not involve the unique identification aspect that OIDs provide.