CHAPTER2

pr
obl
em Sol
vi
ngusi
ngGI
S sof
twar
e

1.
1Dat
aInput
s

Anyi
nfor
mat
iont
hati
spr
ovi
dedt
oacomput
erorasof
twar
epr
ogr
am i
sknownas
i
nput
.Si
ncet
hei
nfor
mat
ionpr
ovi
dedi
sal
soconsi
der
edt
obedat
a,t
hepr
ocessof
pr
ovi
dingi
nfor
mat
iont
othecomput
eri
sal
soknownasdat
ainput
.

I
nGI
Sthedat
ainput
sar
eoft
wot
ypes:

1,
Spat
ialdat
a(l
ati
tude/
longi
tudef
orgeor
efer
enci
ng,
thef
eat
uresonamap,
egsoi
l
uni
ts,
admi
nist
rat
ivedi
str
ict
s),
and

2,
Att
ri
but
edat
a(descr
ipt
ivedat
aaboutt
hef
eat
ures,
egsoi
lpr
oper
ti
es,
popul
ati
onof
di
str
ict
s,et
c.)

1,
Spat
ialDat
acapt
ure(
repr
esent
ingl
ocat
ionsi
nadat
abase)canbei
ntwobasi
c
f
ormat
s:

*
1Vect
orf
ormat

*
2Rast
erf
ormat

Vect
ordat
a:-

I
ntheVect
orf
ormatr
eal
it
yisr
epr
esent
edaspoi
ntsl
inesandar
easandi
nther
ast
er
f
ormatr
eal
it
yisr
epr
esent
edasgr
idofcel
ls/
pixel
s.

TheVect
orf
ormati
sbasedondi
cret
eobj
ect
svi
ewofr
eal
it
y(anal
oguemaps)andt
he
r
ast
erf
ormati
sbasedoncont
inuousf
iel
dsv
iewofr
eal
it
y(phot
ogr
aphs,
imager
ies,
et
c.I
npr
inci
ple,
anyr
ealwor
ldsi
tuat
ioncanber
epr
esent
edi
ndi
git
alf
ormi
nbot
h
r
ast
erandv
ect
orf
ormat
s.Thechoi
cei
supt
otheuser
.Eachf
ormathasi
ts
adv
ant
agesanddi
sadv
ant
ages.
Thi
sisgener
all
yusedf
orcapt
uri
ngdat
afr
om anal
oguemaps.I
tisbasedont
he
obser
vat
iont
hatanymapconsi
stsof3basi
cki
ndsoff
eat
ures–

✓poi
ntf
eat
ures,

✓l
inef
eat
uresand

✓pol
ygonorar
eaf
eat
ures.

Rast
erdat
a:-ArasterbasedGISlocatesandstoresmapdatabyusingamatrix
ofgr
idcel
lsorpi
xel
s.Eachcel
lorpi
xeli
srepr
esent
edei
therati
tscor
nerorcent
roi
d
byauni
quer
efer
encecoor
dinat
e(cel
laddr
ess)
.Eachcel
lal
sohasdi
scr
eteat
tri
but
e
dat
aassi
gnedt
oit
.
Ther
ast
erdat
aresol
uti
oni
sdependentont
hepi
xelorgr
idcel
lsi
ze.Dat
acanbe
conv
eni
ent
lycapt
uredf
rom r
emot
esensi
ngi
mager
ies,
arealphot
ogr
aphs,
andot
her
suchi
mager
iesoft
heear
th'
ssur
facei
nar
ast
erdat
afor
mat
.Int
hisf
ormat
,the
v
ari
ousf
eat
uresar
eident
if
iedbysuper
posi
ngt
hei
mager
iesov
eraf
iner
ect
angul
ar
gr
idoft
heear
th'
ssur
facewhi
cht
heyr
epr
esent
.Rast
erdat
acapt
uredoesnotbui
ld
t
opogr
aphy
,thati
sder
ivespat
ial
rel
ati
onshi
psbet
weent
hei
dent
if
iedf
eat
ures.Buti
t
f
aci
li
tat
essi
mpl
escal
aroper
ati
onsont
hespat
ialdat
awhi
chav
ect
orf
ormatdoesnot
per
mit
.Rast
erdat
arequi
rest
obeconv
ert
edt
ovect
orf
ormatbef
oret
opol
ogycanbe
bui
ltandspat
ialoper
ati
onscanbecar
ri
edout
.Ther
ast
erf
ormatal
sor
equi
resmor
e
st
oragespaceont
hecomput
ert
hant
hev
ect
orf
ormat
.

Mostst
andar
dGI
Ssof
twar
ehav
ethef
aci
li
tyt
otr
ansf
orm mapsf
rom r
ast
erf
ormat
s
andv
icev
ersa.
Advant
ageanddi
sadvant
ageofVect
orandRast
erdat
a

At
tri
but
edat
a

At
tri
but
edat
aar
edescr
ipt
ivedat
aofpoi
nt,
li
neandar
eaf
eat
ures.Forpoi
nts,
thi
smay
bet
henameoft
hel
ocat
ion,
itsel
evat
ion,
etc.Forl
inesat
tri
but
edat
acoul
dbet
he
nameofar
oad,
orcanalandot
herdescr
ipt
ionsassoci
atedwi
tht
hem.Forpol
ygons,
t
heat
tri
but
edat
amayr
elat
etonameofadi
str
ictandi
tspopul
ati
on,
area,
areaunder
speci
fi
ccr
opsi
nthedi
str
ict
,et
c.

At
tri
but
edat
aaboutpoi
nts/
li
nes/
areasf
eat
urescanbeent
eredi
ntodi
ff
erent
dat
abasef
il
es.Thef
il
escanbel
inkedt
othedef
aul
tspat
ialdat
abasegener
atedaf
ter
di
git
izi
ngbycr
eat
ingani
dent
if
icat
ionkeyi
neachdat
afi
lewhi
chi
sal
socommont
o
t
hespat
ialdat
abasegener
atedbyt
heGI
Saf
terdi
git
izat
ion.

Mapsr
epr
esent
ingsev
erall
ayer
sofspat
ialandt
hemat
icorat
tri
but
einf
ormat
ion(
soi
l
map,
rai
nfal
lmap,
agr
oecozonemap,
dist
ri
ctmap,
Stat
esmap,
etc.
)canbedi
git
izedi
n
t
hisf
ashi
oni
ndependent
ly.
2.
2Spat
ialandnonSpat
ialdat
a

Spat
ialdat
a

✓Spat
ialdat
a,al
soknownasgeospat
ialdat
a,i
sat
erm usedt
odescr
ibeanydat
a
r
elat
edt
oorcont
aini
ngi
nfor
mat
ionaboutaspeci
fi
clocat
ionont
heEar
th’
ssur
face.I
t
i
ncl
udesgeogr
aphi
calcoor
dinat
esandot
herf
ormsofl
ocat
ionaldat
a.

Spat
ialdat
aist
hegeogr
aphi
calr
epr
esent
ati
onoff
eat
ures.

I
tincl
udesl
ocat
ion,
shape,
size,
ori
ent
ati
onandassoci
ati
onoft
hegeogr
aphi
cfi
eld
andobj
ect
.Forexampl
e,apar
cel
ofsquar
elandi
nwhi
chi
tscent
erspeci
fi
esi
ts
l
ocat
ion,
itsshapei
ssquar
e,angl
eisi
tsdi
agonal
sandt
hex-
axi
sspeci
fi
esi
ts
or
ient
ati
on.

Hence,
spat
ialdat
aist
hev
isual
izat
ionofgeogr
aphi
calphenomenaov
eraspat
ial
pl
ane.I
tconsi
stsofv
ect
orandr
ast
erdat
abasedoni
tsl
ayerofr
epr
esent
ati
on.

Non-
Spat
ialDat
a

✓Non-
spat
ialdat
aisal
soknownasat
tri
but
edat
aorchar
act
eri
sti
cdat
a.
Thi
sinf
ormat
ioni
sinf
orm ofnumber
sandwor
dse.
g.popul
ati
ondensi
ty,
li
ter
acyr
ate,
pol
lut
ionl
evelet
c.

✓I
tconsi
stsoft
hespat
ialf
eat
ureswhi
char
eindependentofal
lgeomet
ri
c
consi
der
ati
onsandf
rom l
ocat
ionali
nfor
mat
ion.

Suchdat
adonotment
iont
hel
ati
tudi
nalandl
ongi
tudi
nalexpanseoft
heobj
ectbut
onl
yment
iont
henameofl
ocat
ion.

Non-
spat
ialdat
a,si
mpl
y,i
sdat
athatcont
ains‘
what
’inst
eadof‘
wher
e’.Asment
ioned
abov
e,i
tisi
ndependentofgeogr
aphi
clocat
ion.

2.
3Sof
twar
eandTechni
que

AGI
Ssof
twar
epr
ogr
am i
sacomput
erpr
ogr
am t
osuppor
ttheuseofa
geogr
aphi
cinf
ormat
ionsy
stem,
prov
idi
ngt
heabi
li
tyt
ocr
eat
e,st
ore,
manage,
quer
y,
anal
yze,
andv
isual
izegeogr
aphi
cdat
a,t
hati
s,dat
arepr
esent
ingphenomenaf
or
whi
chl
ocat
ioni
simpor
tant
.

GI
STechni
ques:Thesear
ethespeci
fi
cmet
hodsempl
oyedwi
thi
nGI
Ssof
twar
eto
anal
yzespat
ialdat
a.

Exampl
es

5 *Buf
1. fer
ing:Cr
eat
ingar
easar
oundaspeci
fi
cpoi
ntorl
ine.

*Ov
erl
ayi
ng:Combi
ningmul
ti
plel
ayer
sofdat
a.

*Net
wor
kanal
ysi
s:Fi
ndi
ngopt
imalr
out
esandconnect
ions.

2.
4Dat
aPr
ocess

Thepr
ocessofGI
Sdat
apr
ocessi
ngi
nvol
vest
hef
oll
owi
ngst
eps:

Dat
aAcqui
sit
ion:Gat
her
ingdat
afr
om di
ff
erentsour
cessuchassat
ell
it
eimager
y,
aer
ialphot
ogr
aphs,
GPSdev
ices,
sur
vey
s,andexi
sti
ngdat
abases.
 Dat
aInput
:Di
git
izi
ngandent
eri
ngcol
lect
eddat
aint
oGI
Ssof
twar
e,conv
ert
ing
phy
sicalmapsorsur
veydat
aint
odi
git
alf
ormat
s.

Dat
aSt
orage:St
ori
ngt
hedat
ainaGI
Sdat
abase,
organi
zingi
tint
olay
ersbasedon
di
ff
erentt
hemesorat
tri
but
es(
e.g.
,roads,
bui
ldi
ngs,
landuse)
.

▶Dat
aAnal
ysi
s:Anal
yzi
ngspat
ialdat
ausi
ngv
ari
oust
ool
sandt
echni
quesl
ikeov
erl
ay
anal
ysi
s,pr
oxi
mit
yanal
ysi
s,spat
ialst
ati
sti
cs,
andmodel
ing.

▶Dat
aVi
sual
izat
ion:Vi
sual
izi
ngt
her
esul
tsofanal
ysi
sthr
oughmaps,
char
ts,
and
gr
aphst
ocommuni
cat
einsi
ght
sef
fect
ivel
y.

2.
5spat
ialdat
apr
obl
ems.