Geomatics is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as the "discipline concerned with the collection, distribution, storage, analysis, processing, presentation of geographic data or geographic information". Under another definition, it consists of products, services and tools involved in the collection, integration and management of geographic (geospatial) data. Surveying engineering was the widely used name for geomatic(s) engineering in the past. Geomatics was placed by the UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems under the branch of technical geography.

The term was proposed in French ("géomatique") at the end of the 1960s by scientist Bernard Dubuisson to reflect at the time recent changes in the jobs of surveyor and photogrammetrist. On June 1, 1971, 'geomatics' was first employed in a French Ministry of Public Works memorandum instituting a "standing committee of geomatics" in the government.

At the centennial congress of the Canadian Institute of Surveying (now known as the Canadian Institute of Geomatics) in April 1982, the new classification was further popularised in English by French-Canadian surveyor Michel Paradis in keynote address. Paradis claimed that at the end of the 20th century the needs for geographical information would reach a scope without precedent in history and that, in order to address these needs, it was necessary to integrate in a new discipline both the traditional disciplines of land surveying and the new tools and techniques of data capture, manipulation, storage and diffusion.

Evolving from its Canadian origins, the term has since been adopted by recognized governmental groups, like the International Organization for Standardization and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Many other international authorities, such as those in the United States, have shown a preference for the term geospatial technology, which may be defined as a synonym of "geospatial information and communications technology".

Geomatics is an umbrella term that includes the tools and techniques used to analyze the Earth's surface. These can range from land surveying, remote sensing, nautical charts, geographic information systems (GIS), and several other related forms of earth mapping. Some scientists and researchers intend to restrict geomatics to the perspective of surveying and engineering toward geographic information in order to avoid forming a vague concept. Geoinformatics and Geographic information science has been proposed as alternative comprehensive term; however, their popularity is, like geomatics, largely dependent on country.

The related field of hydrogeomatics covers the area associated with surveying work carried out on, above, or below the surface of the sea or other areas of water.^{[citation needed]} The subfield is otherwise, and more commonly, known as hydrography, which was coined in the mid-16th century.

One pioneer of hydro geomatics is Alexander Dalrymple, the first hydrographer and was appointed by the British navy in 1795. His job was to prep and print charts for travel, thus contributing to naval and merchant shipping. Dalrymple's history ties directly into the foundational militant ties that the field possesses, and its modern-day scope has widened to include more aspects of hydrogeography from military surveillance to oceanic habitat conservation. After the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) was founded in 1795, the U.S. Naval Observatory and Hydrographic Office (USNO) was officially instituted in 1854, paving the way for safe navigation, global shipping, and defense.

A U.S. governmental agency called the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is one example of how hydro geomatics/hydrography is applied. Underwater topography (or bathymetry) is sought after, and common geomatics technology like multibeam sonars are used to accomplish seabed mapping.