Geographic Information System (GIS) Lecture 1-3: Understanding of GIS By: Md. ESRAZ-Ul-Zannat Assistant Professor Department of Urban and Regional Planning Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), Khulna-9203, Bangladesh Date: 17 December 2015 1
Acknowledgement 2 These slides are aggregations for better understanding of the topic mentioned in the previous slide. I acknowledge the contribution of all the authors and photographers from where I tried to accumulate the info and used for better presentation.
Topics to be Covered by this Presentation 3 Understanding GIS (All about GIS) Defining GIS Hierarchy of decision-making infrastructure Geo-science, technology and business goals of applied problem solving GIS History Components of GIS
Quotes Regarding GIS The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible. Albert Einstein "Knowing where things are, and why, is essential to rational decision making" Jack Dangermond, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) "Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things. - Tobler's First Law of Geography (1970) Everything happens somewhere. GIS is the nervous system for the planet. - Jack Dangermond Question: Why can fish measure distances so well? Answer: Because they have their own scales. 4
Quotes regarding GIS The new source of power is not money in the hands of a few but information in the hands of many. John Naisbitt A decision is as good as the information that goes into it. John F. Bookout, Jr. No matter where you go, there you are. Anonymous A picture is worth a thousand words. Chinese proverb 5
Almost everything that happens, happens somewhere! We share the same geography and are related! Think about all the activity occurring though out a landscape. How can we map, manage and analyze all that is going on? GIS! ROWAN UNIVERSITY 6
GIS Integrate Data 7
Almost everything that happens, happens somewhere! *We are confined in our activities to the surface and near surface of the Earth. *We travel over it and in the lower levels of the atmosphere. *Through tunnels dug just below the surface. *We dig ditches and burry pipelines and cables *Construct mines to extract mineral deposits *Drill wells to access oil and gas. *Keeping track of all this activity is important, and knowing where it occurs can be the most convenient basis for tracking. Knowing where something happens is critically important! If we want go there ourselves or send someone there, to find other information about the same place, or to inform people nearby 8
All About GIS Geographic information systems are a special class of information systems that keep track not only of events, activities, and things happen or exist, but also of where these events, activities, and things happen or exist. Definitions of GIS can vary considerably! Why do we need GIS? Because location is important, It is an issue in many of the problems society must solve. Problems that involve an aspect of location, either in the information used to solve them, or in the solutions themselves, are termed geographic problems 9
All About GIS 10
All About GIS 11
All About GIS 12
All About GIS 13
G I S.. G derived from Geography Geography Geography (from Greek geographia, lit. "earth description) is the science that studies the lands, the features, the inhabitants, and the phenomena of the Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes (276-194 BC). Eratosthenes (276-194 BC) Geography as a discipline can be split broadly into two main subsidiary fields: the human geography and the physical geography. Physical geography (or physiography) focuses on geography as an Earth science. It aims to understand the physical problems and the issues of lithosphere, hydrosphere,atmosphere, pedosphere, and global flora and fauna patterns (biosphere). Human geography is a branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape the human society. It encompasses the human, political, cultural,social, and economic aspects. 14
Geographic vs. Geographical Geographic This term is used to describe the geography of our Earth, the geography that most laypeople think of when they hear the word geography things such as topography, topology, navigation, orientation, and mapwork. By this definition, your location in a place is geographic, not geographical. The sense of this word is tied quite closely to the physical world. It is possible that AE (American English) only has this variant, though I am not American and so I will leave it to an American to confirm this. American leader in GIS chooses Geographic Information Systems, though GIS may be used for geographic or geographical analysis. This form is also found in the National Geographic Society (also famous for their magazine and television channels). Geographical This word is more holistic in terms of gathering all the different aspects of geography, not simply maps and physical systems of rivers, rocks, and mountains. The word is used in more professional capacity because of this. Your location in space might be geographical in light of this. md. ESRAZ-ul-zannat, Urban Planner & GIS/RS Specialist, email: esrazuz@gmail.com, cell: +8801712688268 15
Principles of GIS Acronym GIS = geographic information system the hardware, software, & routines GIS = geographic information science philosophical questions methods issues Why does it matter? Discipline specific implications software versus science 16
A GIS... 17
A GIS... Definitions of GIS vary considerably! 18 A container of maps in digital form A computerized tool for solving geographic problems A spatial decision support system A mechanized inventory of geographically distributed features and facilities A tool for revealing what is otherwise invisible in geographic information A tool for performing operations on geographic data that are too tedious or expensive or inaccurate if performed by hand
A GIS... is a subset of information science that deals with spatially or geographically referenced data. Is a collection of hardware, software, methods, and instructions, to: capture, manage, manipulate, analyze, & display Is a decision support system Is different from mapping & computer aid-cartography because of its analytical capacity Is different from CAD programs because it performs spatial operations Is different from DBMS because it has a cartographic interface 19
GIS: An Inter-disciplinary Science Geography Cartography Photogrammetry Remote Sensing Geology Geodesy Surveying Statistics MIS Computer Science Mathematics Civil Engineering 20
Similar & Synonymous Software Applications/Terms AGIS (Automated Geographic Information System), AM/FM (Automated Mapping and Facilities Management) CAD/M (Computer-Aided Drafting/Mapping or Manufacturing) Environmental Information System Image-Based Information System LIS (Land Information System) Land Management System Land Record System Land Resources Information System Natural Resources Inventory System Natural Resources Management Information System Planning Information System Multipurpose Cadastre Resource Information System Spatial Data Handling System 21
All About GIS Interpretation of the words G I S GIS: A particular form of information system applied to geographical data A system: A group of connected entities and activities which interact for a common purpose An information system: A set of processes, executed on raw data, to produce information which will be useful for decision making Geographical data: Spatially referenced data sets 22
All About GIS 23
What is an Information System? In the digital environment we use software to create complex information systems. 24
What is a GIS? Information System + Geographic Position A means of storing, retrieving, sorting, and comparing spatial data to support some analytic process. 25
What is a GIS? GEOGRAPHIC Information System GIS links graphical features (entities) to tabular data (attributes) 26
GIS Answers... What is the population of a particular city? What are the characteristics of the soils in a particular land parcel? Are there any trends of earthquake in a particular zone which could help predict future quakes? How has the distribution of rural and urban population changed between the past two censuses? To answer such questions proper and accurate data are required from different sources and these data should be integrated into consistent forms. 27
Examples of Geographic Problems *Health care managers solve geographic problems Where to locate new clinics and hospitals *Delivery companies solve geographic problems when they decide the routes, and schedules of their vehicles, often on a daily basis. *Transportation authorities solve geographic problems When they select routes for new highways *Forestry companies: They determine how best to manage forests, etc. Governments solve geographic problems when they decide how to allocate funds for building sea defense 28
Spatial problem solving Information systems help us to manage what we know by making it easy to organize and store, access and retrieve, manipulate and synthesise, and apply to the solution of problems. (Longley, et al., 2011) Data: raw facts Information: contents assembled from raw facts Evidence: results of analysis Knowledge: information that is understood Wisdom: Policies developed and accepted 29
Hierarchy of decision-making infrastructure Decision-making support infrastructure Ease of sharing with everyone GIS example Wisdom Impossible Policies developed and accepted by stakeholders Knowledge Difficult Personal knowledge about places and issues Evidence Often not easy Results of GIS analysis Information Easy Contents assembled from raw facts Data Easy Raw geographical facts (After Longley, et al., 2011, pp. 12) 30
Geo-science, technology and business Geo-science: knowledge about how the world works Information on how it looks, its forms and how it works Prediction GIS combines general scientific knowledge with specific information, and gives practical value to both. The test-bed for geography Geo-technology: to support both science and problem solving. Geo-business: software, data, geo-service, publishing and education 31
What are the goals of applied problem solving? GIS is fundamentally about solving real-world problems. - Rational, effective, and efficient allocation of resources, for example physical construction of infrastructure - Monitoring and understanding observed spatial distributions of attributes, such as the geography of environmental health - Understanding the difference that place makes, identifying which characteristics are inherently similar between places, and what is distinctive and possibly unique about them For example, regional and local differences in alcohol consumption - Understanding of processes in the natural and human environments, such as processes of coastal erosion or river delta deposition in the natural environment - Prescription of strategies for environmental maintenance and conservation, as in national park management 32
GIS can be applied to solve many problem Rhind (1990) sets out a general classification of generic questions: 1. Location What is at? 2. Condition Where is it? 3. Trend What has change? 4. Routing Which is the best way? 5. Pattern What is the Pattern? 6. Modelling What if? 33
GIS Past. (History of GIS Development) In 1854, John Snow depicted a cholera outbreak in London using points to represent the locations of some individual cases, possibly the earliest use of the geographic method. His study of the distribution of cholera led to the source of the disease, a contaminated water pump (the Broad Street Pump, whose handle he had disconnected, thus terminating the outbreak) within the heart of the cholera outbreak. E. W. Gilbert's version (1958) of John Snow's 1855 map of the Soho cholera outbreak showing the clusters of cholera cases in the London epidemic of 1854. While the basic elements of topography and theme existed previously in cartography, the John Snow map was unique, using cartographic methods not only to depict but also to analyze clusters of geographically dependent phenomena for the first time. Fig shows A variant of the original map drawn by Dr. John Snow (1813-1858), a British physician who is one of the founders of medical epidemiology, showing cases of cholera in the London epidemics of 1854, clustered around the locations of water pumps. 34
US Census Data in Excel Think about keeping information about phenomenon on a landscape. How could you do it? 35
US Census Data in GIS GIS organizes that data with a map. But GIS is much more. 36
GIS Functions 37
What is GIS? A Geographic Information System, or GIS, is an organized collection of computer hardware, software, geographic data, and personnel designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display all forms of geographically referenced information. Or, in simple terms: A computer system capable of holding and using data describing places on the earth's surface. GIS is an acronym for Geographic Information System. This is basically a computerized system for managing and viewing large amounts of information geographically. A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. Practitioners also regard the total GIS as including operating personnel and the data that go into the system. 38
GISystem Data acquisition GIS Data query Geographical database Data analysis Presentation 39
What is GIS? In short A Geographical Information System (GIS) is a collection of maps, tables and various data pulled together to interact with each other to help present realities, scenarios and information in a graphical manner. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. 40
What is GIS? GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems. GIS is a System or a Tool for - collecting, - storing, - manipulating, - analyzing, - displaying, and - querying geographically related information. It is important to understand that GIS is a system, not a specific software. 41
What is GIS? Definitions of GIS can vary considerably!!! 42
What is GIS? Capturing Data: A GIS must provide methods for inputting geographic (coordinate) or tabular (attribute) data. The more input methods available, the more versatile the GIS. Storing Data: There are two basic data models for geographic data storage: vector and raster. A GIS should be able to store geographic data in both models. Querying data: A GIS must provide utilities for finding specific features based on location or attribute value. Analyzing data: A GIS must be able to answer questions regarding the interaction of spatial relationships between multiple data sets. Displaying Data: A GIS must have tools for visualizing geographic features using a variety of symbology. Output: A GIS must be able to display results in a variety of formats, such as maps, reports, and graphs 43
What is GIS? Spatial Data Modeling Visualization Spatial Data & Attribute Data Spatial Analysis & Spatial modeling Database Management System 44
GIS is Composed of? 45
Components of GIS 46
5 Components of GIS? 1. People: This is the most important component in a GIS. People must develop the procedures and define the tasks of the GIS. People can often overcome shortcomings in other components of the GIS, but the best software and computers in the world cannot compensate for the incompetence of people. 2. Data: The availability and accuracy of data can affect the results of any query or analysis. 3. Hardware: hardware capabilities affect processing speed, ease of use, and the type of output 4. Software: This includes not only actual GIS software, but also various database, drawing, statistical, imaging, or other software. 5. Procedures or Methods: Analysis requires well-defined, consistent methods to produce accurate, reproducible results 47
Topics Covered by this Presentation 48 Understanding GIS (All about GIS) Defining GIS Hierarchy of decision-making infrastructure Geo-science, technology and business goals of applied problem solving GIS History Components of GIS
What We Learnt Understanding of the very basic of GIS with different examples 49
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52 What Next? Lecture 04-07: Applications of GIS