Although "Null Island" started as a joke within the geospatial community, it has become a useful means of addressing a recurring issue in geographic information science.

[1] The point on the Earth's surface defined as Null Island is located in international waters in the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 600 kilometres (370 mi) off the coast of West Africa, in the Gulf of Guinea.

[3] The nearest land to Null Island is a small islet 570 km (354 mi; 307.8 nmi) to the north (4°45′30″N 1°58′33″W / 4.75833°N 1.97583°W / 4.75833; -1.97583) that is part of Ghana.

[2] Natural Earth describes the entity as a "1 meter square island" with "scale rank 100, indicating it should never be shown in mapping".

[3] It was an Autonomous Temperature Line Acquisition System (ATLAS) buoy that was conical in shape and 3.8 metres (12 ft) high.