Scribd
Upload
353 views12 pages

ENVS211 Lecture 1 Introduction To GIS

GIS stands for Geographic Information System. It has three main aspects - geography, information, and system. GIS is used to study locations and features on Earth. It involves hardware, software, and procedures to analyze spatial data. There are many definitions of GIS as it is interdisciplinary and can focus on technology, science, or applications. GIS has components like data, tools, people, and institutions that work together. Its key capabilities include capturing, storing, analyzing, and visualizing geographic data to help with decision making.

Uploaded by

Xorh Ngwane
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
353 views12 pages

ENVS211 Lecture 1 Introduction To GIS

GIS stands for Geographic Information System. It has three main aspects - geography, information, and system. GIS is used to study locations and features on Earth. It involves hardware, software, and procedures to analyze spatial data. There are many definitions of GIS as it is interdisciplinary and can focus on technology, science, or applications. GIS has components like data, tools, people, and institutions that work together. Its key capabilities include capturing, storing, analyzing, and visualizing geographic data to help with decision making.

Uploaded by

Xorh Ngwane
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 12

Lecture1: Introduction to GIS

What is GIS ?

• GIS: Geographic Information System


• Three main aspects stand out
Geography: Study of places, peoples, things and their
location or study of features & their location in space
Information: refers to the meaning we draw from facts,
features, places, people and their locations
System: A process or procedure for analyzing info about
features, also involve a set of processes, a series of steps to
analyze data for decision making.
Some Selected Definitions of GIS
“A system of hardware, software and procedures designed
to support the capture, management, manipulation,
analysis, modelling and display of spatially-referenced data
for solving complex planning and management problems” -
Ncgis Lectures
“A computer-based technology & methodology for
collecting, managing, analyzing, modelling & presenting
geographic data for a wide range of applications” – Davis,
2001
“A powerful set of tools for collecting, storing retrieving…
transforming and displaying spatial data from the real
world” – Burrough, 1986
“A system for capturing, storing, checking, integrating,
manipulating, analyzing and displaying data which are
spatially referenced to the earth” – DoE, 1987
Why the Diversity of Definitions?
1stly, its interdisciplinary nature bringing together
specialists from different fields and their perception of GIS
2ndly, there are many different ways of defining and
classifying objects and subjects. Not surprising, given the
diversity of the field, many different methods have been
applied to defining GIS
3rdly, the main reason for the inability to achieve a unique
definition of GIS stems from genuine academic debate about
the central focus of current GIS activity
 e.g some people believe that hardware and software are the
central focus, others argue that the key element is
information processing or even applications.
 Some see GIS as a science while others see it as a tool
 Still others see it as a technology while others see it a spatial
decision making support system.
Components
Components (cont’d)
L Institutions or People
individuals and/or organization
using/implementing GIS
critical component - decides success of
implementation
• need for GIS professional to develop procedures &
define tasks
• best software & hardware cannot compensate for
incompetence!!!
L Application
Areas where GIS is used – Gov’t, business, env’t,
utilities???, town planning, resource management,
military, research, etc.
Components of a GIS - Illustrated
Capability & Function

• Data capture
– must provide for geographic (co-ordinate) & tabular
(attribute) data input
– more varied inputs… greater versatility
• Data storage
– 2 basic models – raster & vector
– attribute data managed via DBMS –
hierarchical/relational database
• Data query
– Should have functions for finding specific features
based on location and/or attribute values
Capability & Function (cont’d)

• Data analysis
– answer questions relating to interaction of spatial
relationships between multiple datasets e.g network
analysis, buffering, overlay, etc
• Display
– tools for visualizing geographic features using varied
symbology
• Output
– results of display output to varied forms e.g. maps,
reports, graphs, digital media
GIS Capabilities – In summary

Storage
Data Capture Analysis Visualization
&
management
GIS – Interdisciplinary & Integrative

• GIS is an integrative discipline, bringing together many


other disciplines in its practice. For example data related
to different fields (agriculture, botany, computing,
economics, surveying, geology, mathematics, hydrology,
environmental sciences and, of course, Geography) can be
analyzed and mapped in a GIS
• At the same time, the above mentioned disciplines and
many others use GIS to record, store and analyze and
display results
• There is a vast number organizations and individuals who
today make use of GIS
GIS & Other Information Systems

Information
Systems

Non-spatial Spatial
Information Information
Systems Systems

Management Geographic Other types


Information Information (CAD/CAM)
Systems Systems

????? ??????
What distinguishes GIS from other
information systems?
• GIS makes connections between activities based on
spatial proximity.
• GIS integrates spatial and other kinds of information
within one system, it offers a consistent framework for
analyzing space.
• GIS provides the mechanisms for undertaking the
manipulation, analysis and display of geographic
knowledge.
• Its ability to store relationships between features in
addition to feature locations and attributes is one of the
most important sources of power and flexibility of GIS.

12

You might also like