Dissolve merges features based on which criteria?

The correct answer is based on the concept of how the dissolve operation works in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). Dissolve combines adjacent features in a spatial dataset based on shared attribute values. This process helps to simplify the data by merging polygons that share identical characteristics or values in specified fields.

For example, if you have a dataset of land parcels that include an attribute for land use type, using the dissolve tool to merge based on this attribute will create larger polygons that represent areas with the same land use, effectively summarizing the dataset and reducing complexity.

This operation is particularly useful in cartography and data analysis when you want to present or analyze information that applies to broader areas rather than individual features. In contrast, random selection, geographic proximity, and temporal data do not serve as criteria for the dissolve process, as they do not relate to attribute values for merging features in the same way.