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GIS Notes

GIS is a system for storing, analyzing, and sharing spatial data. It uses layers of vector and raster data, with vector data representing points, lines, and polygons and raster data representing continuous phenomena through a grid of cells. GIS allows for querying, analyzing, and manipulating spatial data through operations like buffering.

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69 views5 pages

GIS Notes

GIS is a system for storing, analyzing, and sharing spatial data. It uses layers of vector and raster data, with vector data representing points, lines, and polygons and raster data representing continuous phenomena through a grid of cells. GIS allows for querying, analyzing, and manipulating spatial data through operations like buffering.

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Concepts: Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

o GIS is a system of hardware, data, people, organisations and


institutional arrangements (components) for storing, analysing
and disseminating spatially-linked information functions).

o Remote sensing: The process of capturing data using modern


technology to obtain spatial information about the earth’s
surface from above where there is no physical contact between
sensor and subject.
o
o
o Vector: - Shows features as points, lines, nodes and areas
(polygons).
- Layered and separated into themes
- Each point has a set of X and Y coordinates that
specify its location
in terms of latitude and longitude.

▪ Nodes: - Points that are found at the start and end a line or
where two or m go ore lines meet; in which case they represent
junctions or intersections.
▪ Points: (e.g., schools)
o Are zero dimensional (flat).
o Have locations and attributes.
▪ Lines: (e.g., rivers and roads)
o One dimensional.
o start and end at a point.
o Made up of a sequence of points that have been connected.
▪ Polygons: (e.g., cultivated land)
o Two dimensional.
o Made up of series of connected lines.
o The starting point is the same as the ending point.
o Are closed.
o Raster data
- Data used is represented and stored by grid cells (rows &
columns) or pixels.
- Used to represent continuous data, not individual
features.
- Represents the dominant phenomenon in the area
covered by a cell. A geographical feature becomes a
collection of cells with the same attribute value.

• Pixels:
An area represented by each cell or grid in a raster.

o Resolution

• Resolution: Amount of detail with which a map depicts the


location and shape of geographical features. The larger the map
scale, the higher the possible spatial resolution. The area shown
is smaller; hence more detail will be shown.

• Pixel resolution: The detail of the raster data depends on the


size of the grid cells. A high pixel resolution means that a
smaller area is depicted and more detail is shown. A low pixel
resolution: A larger area shown and less detail.

• Spatial resolution:
The clarity of an image. How clear and easy the detail is to see.

o Spatial Data: Spartial data refers to the position of an object,


in other words, its co-ordinates. (e.g.) the spatial data for a tree
2􏰆􏰇􏰈0°30,3' S􏰊;19°10,8' E
o Attribute data: Attribute data is information that describes
or gives the characteristics of an object.(e.g.) the attribute data
for a tree could be: It is an acacia tree, which is 5 m tall.

o Spatial objects: representation of reality using spatial


objects- point, line , polygon symbols within a geographical
context

o Concept of layering of information:


When different kinds of information are placed one on top of
the other to see the overall picture. (e.g.) on the Nelspruit map,
the layers of data needed to draw block D1 are: Vegetation,
Contour lines, Roads, Power lines, Built-up areas and Water

• Components of GIS:
Hardware (computers), software (computer programmers), data
(information), people, procedures (how to solve a problem or
answer a question), network (where to get the information
from).

o Sources of information for GIS


•
Primary data: Data obtained for the first time and used
specifically for the particular problem or issue being studied.
Firsthand information collected from fieldwork, observations,
questionnaires, surveys, etc., or collected directly from source.
• Secondary Data: Data that was collected by someone else
(probably for a different purpose). This second-hand or
published information. Can be obtained from census data,
reports, newspapers, internet, maps, statistics, etc.
• Data Acquisition: Is a process of identifying and collecting
specific information (data) to solve a particular problem.

o Data manipulation and analysis:


• Data manipulation: changing the format of data to suit the
particular needs of the system
• Data integration:
the combination of disparate sources of data into meaningful
and valuable data.
• Buffering
- Creating zones within pre-determined distance.
- Buffering builds new objects by identifying all areas that are
within a certain specified distance of the original objects
(whether be it a point, line or area)
• Querying: A query is a question about a place. Issuing a
query means asking a GIS database a question, e.g. by clicking
on a point to get attribute data about a town or any feature.
• Statistical analysis: The collection of methods used to
process large amounts of data and report overall trends.
-Process of using statistical information about a set of
geographic features and examining the relationships between
them.

• Data standardisation: It is the process of achieving


agreement on common data definitions, representation and
structures to which all data layers must conform.

• Data sharing:
It is the practice of making data used for scholarly research
available to other investigators.

• Data security:
This means protecting a database from destructive forces and
the unwanted actions of unauthorized users􏰃 this may be done
by encryption, firewall or password.

o Application of GIS by the:


• Government :
o Department of Education-Buffering school feeder zone.
o Department of environmental affairs- demarcating areas for
conservation
o Housing department- allocation and location of RDP housing
• Private sector :
o Bank-Location of ATM’s using buffering
o Mobile Networks- Location of communication towers

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