ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT

ENV 203/GEO 205: INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHY

LECTURE 04

PROFESSOR DR. MD. MIZANUR RAHMAN (RMR)

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT

----- TODAY’S LECTURE -----

BASICS OF GIS AND RS

GIS RS
Definition Definition
Parts Parts/Sensors
Purpose History
GIS Application Platforms
Importance Types
Analysis Scope and Benefits

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF GIS

GIS: WHAT IS GIS?

A map connected to a database.

GIS is a system of hardware and software used for storage,
retrieval, mapping, and analysis of geographic data.

GIS Combines Physical/Spatial Data and Attribute Data.

Physical Data : Road, Area, Building, Lake, etc.
Attribute Data : Width, Population, # of Plot Boundary, Depth, etc.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 Example : Water Supply Utility

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 Example : Water Supply Utility

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 Result

How the Result Obtained ?

• Merging Layers
- Two Layers
- Multiple Layers

• Buffering
- Point Buffering
- Line Buffering
- Polygon Buffering

• By both of them

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF GIS

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DEFINITIONS:

GIS is much more than a container of maps in digital form.

A GIS is a computerized tool for solving geographic problems.

GIS is a spatial decision support system.

Information system used for capturing, storing, updating,

manipulating & analyzing data.

+
Information System Geographic Position
Department of Environmental Science and Management
Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF GIS

SIX PARTS OF GIS:

GIS is a tool-kit and an organised collection of …

• Hardware

• Software

• Network

• Data

• Procedures

• And people!

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF GIS

IMPORTANCE OF GIS: CHANGING SCENARIO

• Quantification has changed the subject

dramatically;
• Shift from description to spatial
management;
• GIS help ask questions (why, how,
where, who) instead of giving
overview of a territory;
• Implementation to development;
• Planning perspective: manual to
digital;
• Perception to Accuracy;
• Data to Information;
• GIS gives hi-tech feel to GEO data.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF GIS

OBSTACLES TO GIS

• Lack of qualified person;

• Lack of GIS data sets;
• Difficult and expensive data;
• Decentralized and uncoordinated
collection of information;
• Still not popular in developing countries;
• Fear of technology and program;
• Wrong data input and incorrect analysis;
• Necessity of think tanks for proper
interpretation and analysis of spatial
data.

WRONG INTERPRETATION OF DATA MEANS…

THERE MAY BE ANOTHER DISASTER.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

RS: DEFINITION OF REMOTE SENSING

The science (and art) of…

• acquiring information about an object,

• without entering in contact with it,

• by sensing and recording reflected or

emitted energy and

• processing,

• analyzing, and

• applying that information.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

SOME REMOTE SENSORS

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

HISTORY OF REMOTE SENSING

Galileo

1609 - Invention of the telescope

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

HISTORY OF REMOTE SENSING

1609 – Invention of the telescope

1859 – First Aerial Photographer (Nadar)
1862 – US Army Baloon Corp
1890 – Kite photography, Pegion Camera, etc
1908 – First photos from an Airplane
1947 – Space

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

REMOTE SENSING PLATFORMS

Ground-based Airplane-based Satellite-based

Use of different platforms and/or satellites for different purposes

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

TYPES OF REMOTE SENSING

Passive: source of energy is Active: source of energy is

either the Sun or part of the remote sensor
Earth/atmosphere system

– Sun – Radar
wavelengths: 0.4-5 µm wavelengths: mm-m

– Earth or its atmosphere – Lidar

wavelengths: 3 µm-30 cm wavelengths: UV, Visible,
and near infrared

Camera takes photo as example, no flash and flash

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

REMOTE SENSING: SPATIAL RESOLUTION

• The earth surface area covered by a pixel of an image is
known as spatial resolution
• Large area covered by ‘a pixel’ means low spatial resolution
and vice versa

Spatial Resolution:

0.5 meter
1 meter
2 meter
5 meter
10 meter
20 meter
40 meter
80 meter

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

REMOTE SENSING: COARSER RESOLUTION SATELLITE SENSORS

LANDSAT Thematic Mapper MODIS

30m resolution 36 spectral bands

Most Common Use: Most Common Uses:

Land Cover/Land Use Mapping Cloud/Aerosol Properties
Good for regional coverage Ocean Color
Atmospheric Water Vapor
Sea/Atmospheric
Temperatures
Department of Environmental Science and Management
Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

REMOTE SENSING: HIGHER RESOLUTION SATELLITE SENSORS

IKONOS Quickbird
4 m visible/infrared resolution 2.5 m multispectral resolution

MOST COMMON USES FOR HIGH RESOLUTION:

Accurate Base Maps
Infrastructure Mapping
Disaster Assessment (Smaller Scale)

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 BASICS OF RS

REMOTE SENSING: ADVANTAGES

• Provides a regional view (large areas);
• Remote sensors ‘see’ over a broader portion of the spectrum than the
human eye;
• Provides geo-referenced, digital, data;
• Some remote sensors operate in all seasons, at night, & in bad weather.

REMOTE SENSING: CONSTRAINTS

• Expensive and requires specialized training;
• Humans always involved in different stage of handling data thus the
process may produce error.
• Obstacle such as fog, cloud may produce error while investigating an
object.
• Provides primary information that needs accurate interpretation.
• May require ground truthing.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 REPRESENTING GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES

HOW DO WE DESCRIBE GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES?

BY RECOGNIZING TWO TYPES OF DATA:

Spatial Data Attribute Data
Which describes location Which specifies characteristics
(Where) of that location
(What, how much and when)

HOW DO WE REPRESENT THESE DIGITALLY IN A GIS?

Vector Data Model

Raster Data Model

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 POINT LINE AND POLYGON

THREE FEATURES…

POINT

LINE

POLYGON

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 ATTRIBUTE DATA TYPES

POINT…

Specific Location POINT

Cyclone Shelter: Spatial Data

What will be the Attribute Data?

Attribute Data:
Area in Acre
Village
Union
Upazila
District
Country
Capacity
Year of establishment
Number of room
Building type
Number of tubewell
Number of toilet
And many more……………

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 ATTRIBUTE DATA TYPES

LINE…

Road
Spatial Data: Geographic location (Latitude and Longitude or X,Y values)

What will be the Attribute Data?

Attribute Data: LINE

Road type
Length
Width
Surface quality
Soil type
Height
Existence of Tunnel forestry
Presence of unauthorized structure
Year of Establishment
Year of repair/maintenance
Disaster affected
Number of Bridges

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 ATTRIBUTE DATA TYPES

POLYGON…

Union
Spatial Data: Administrative Boundary (Latitude and Longitude or X,Y
values, Starting and ending points are the same)

What will be the Attribute Data?

POLYGON
Attribute Data:
Name
Population
Population Density
Number of village
Number of ward
Number of school
Number of cyclone shelter
Number of tubewell
Length of protection embankment
Total Area in acre
Water body in acre
Forest area in acre, etc.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 REPRESENTING GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES

HOW DO WE DESCRIBE GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES?

HOW DO WE REPRESENT THESE DIGITALLY IN A GIS?

Vector Data Model Raster Data Model

Raster and Vector are two methods of

representing geographic data in GIS

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

GPS…
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a
satellite-based navigation system.
GPS was originally intended for military
applications, but in the 1980s, the government
made the system available for civilian use.

It is a constellation of 24
Earth orbiting satellites that
can provide continuous 3D
positioning 24 hours a day
through-out the world.

GPS developed by
US Dept of Defence
at a cost of >$12
Billion.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

GPS…
GPS is the only system today able to show you
your exact position on Earth anytime, in any
weather, anywhere.
The three parts of GPS are…
a. Satellite;
b. Receiver;
c. Software
The accuracy of data &
information depends on
the quality or the error
levels of the device.

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University
 THANK YOU ALL!!!

Department of Environmental Science and Management

Course No. ENV 203/GEO 205
North South University