The uses of topology

As a conclusion to all previous topology explanation posts and the how to create a topology demonstration the following is a list of the relevant uses of topology.

1. Managing and constraining how features share their geometry. Ie. Making sure adjacent FRI polygons share edges.
2. Defining and enforcing rules which maintain the integrity of data. Ie. Not having gaps between features or ensuring all roads are connected.
3. Support of navigation and increased efficiency when querying data by topological relation. Ie. Finding features that share endpoints or edges.
4. Efficient editing of features to enforce the topology rules enforced on the data using powerful editing tools. Ie. Ability to edit a shared edge and update all features that share that common edge.
5. Construct features from unstructured geometry Ie. The amalgamation of a mess of unconnected lines into continuous lines using cluster tolerance.

Source. An interpretation of the "Why Topology" section found within ESRI's GIS Topology White Paper. http://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/gis_topology.pdf