Information System For Transportation
Information System For Transportation
Information System For Transportation
Role of GIS
Geographic Information System (GIS) represents a new paradigm for the organization
of information and design of information systems, the essential aspect of which is use
of the concept of location as the basis for the structuring of information systems. The
application of GIS has relevance to transportation due to the essentially spatially
distributed nature of transportation related data, and the need for various types of
network level analysis, statistical analysis and spatial analysis and manipulation.
The geographic information system (GIS) could be used as a tool for highway
infrastructure management in a way similar to its current application in land-based
information. GIS procedures provide a coordinated methodology for drawing together a
wide variety of information sources under a single, visually oriented umbrella to make
them available to a diverse user audience
Thus, potential applications for GIS in transportation planning include the following:
Outline
1. Spatial Data Functions
o Format Transformations
o Geometric Transformations
o Projection Transformations
o Conflation
o Edge-matching
o Editing Functions
o Line Coordinate Thinning
2. Attribute Data Functions
o Retrieval
o Classification
o Verification
3. Integrated Analysis of Spatial and Attribute
Data
o Overlay
o Neighborhood Function
o Point-in-Polygon and Line-In-Polygon
o Topographic Functions
o Thiessen Polygon
o Interpolation
4. Cartographic Modeling
5. Connectivity Functions
6. Output Functions
GIS analysis functions use the spatial and non-spatial attribute data to answer
questions about real-world. It is the spatial analysis functions that distinguishes GIS
from other information systems.
When use GIS to address real-world problems, you'll come up against the question
that which analysis function you want to use and to solve the problems. In this case,
you should be aware that wisely using functions will lead to high quality of the
information produced from GIS and individual analysis functions must be used in the
context of a complete analysis strategy. (Stan Aronoff, 1989)
Format Transformations
Format is the pattern into which data are systematically arranged for use on a
computer. Format transformations are used to get data into acceptable GIS format.
Digital Files must be transformed into the data format used by the GIS, such as
transforming from raster to vector data structure. A raster data often requires no re-
formatting. A vector data often requires topology to be built from coordinate data,
such as arc/node translations. Transformation can be very costly and time-consuming
with poor coordinate data.
Geometric Transformations
Geometric transformations are used to assign ground coordinates to a map or data
layer within the GIS or to adjust one data layer so it can be correctly overlayed on
another of the same area. The procedure used to accomplish this correction is
termed registration.
Two approaches are used in registration: the adjustment of absolute positions and the
adjustment of relative position. Relative Position refers to the location of features in
relation to a geographic coordinate system. Rubber sheeting (registration by Relative
Position) is the procedure using "slave" and "master" mathematical transformations to
adjust coverage features in a nonuniform manner. Links representing from- and to-
locations are used to define the adjustment. It needs easily identifiable, accurate, well
distributed control points. Absolute Position is the location in relation to the ground.
This registration is done by individual layers. The advantage is that it does not
propagate errors.
Projection Transformations
Map projection is a mathematical transformation that is used to represent a spherical
surface on a flat map. The transformation assigns to each location on a spherical
surface a unique location on a 2-dimensional map.
Map projections always causes some distortion: area, shape, distance, or direction
distortion. GIS commonly supports several projections and has software to transform
data from one projection to another. The map projections most commonly used for
mapping at scales of 1:500,000 or larger in North America is the UTM(Universal
Transverse Mercator) Projection. For maps of continental extent, the Albers,
Lambert's Azimuthal, and Polyconic projections are commonly used.
Conflation
Conflation is the procedure of reconciling the positions of corresponding features in
different data layers. Conflation functions are used to reconcile these differences so
that the corresponding features overlay precisely. This is important when data from
several data layers are used in an analysis.
1.Spatial Data
Data that define a location. These are in the form of graphic primitives that are
location
the angle its diagonals make with, say, the x-axis specifies its
orientation.
2.Non-spatial Data
Data that relate to a specific, precisely defined location. The data are often
statistical but may be text, images or multi-media. These are linked in the GIS
o For example, a person’s height, mass, and age are non-spatial data
because they are independent of the person’s location.