Introduction to Spatial Information Technologies in the Earth Sciences

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Introduction to Spatial Information Technologies
in the Earth Sciences
OR What is GIS/RS and what can it do for
me? OR Why is Miles on the faculty in this
College?

• Miles Logsdon
• mlog_at_u.washington.edu

http//faculty.washington.edu/mlog Or
http//sal.ocean.washington.edu/people
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Our agenda today

• What are spatial information technologies?
• What is the difference between GIS, Spatial
  Analysis, and Spatial Data Analysis?
• What is the difference between a Spatial model
  and a Spatial Explicit Model
• What is a theoretical basis for the application
  of GIS and spatial data analysis in Ecological
  Studies?
• What research methods or tools directly apply
  between the two fields?

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My agenda

• Show you pretty pictures
• Talk about myself
• Justify our time together
• Stop talking - Sooner or later

Spatial Information Technologies GIS - GPS
Remote Sensing
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Spatial Information Technologies

• Geographic Information Systems GIS
• Global Positioning System GPS
• Remote Sensing and Image Processing - RS

Technologies to help answer

• What is here? give a position
• What is next to this? given some
  description
• Where are all of the ??? detecting or finding
• What is the spatial pattern of ???
• When X occurs here, does Y also occur?

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GIS
Geographic Information System
GIS - A system of hardware, software, data,
people, organizations and institutional
arrangements for collecting, storing, analyzing,
and disseminating information about areas of the
earth. (Dueker and Kjerne 1989, pp. 7-8)

• GIS - The organized activity by which people
• Measure aspects of geographic phenomena and
  processes
• Represent these measurements, usually in a
  computer database
• Operate upon these representations and
• Transform these representations. (Adapted from
  Chrisman, 1997)

A KEY POINT Geo-referenced Data
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Suggested Reading

• Chrisman, Nicholas, 1997, Exploring Geographic
  Information Systems, John Wiley Sons,
• Burrough, P. A., 1986, Principles of
  Geographical Information Systems for Land
  Resources Assessment, Monographs on Soil and
  Resources Servey 12, Oxford Science Publications
• Miller, Roberta Balstad, 1996, "Information
  Technology for Public Policy", in GIS and
  Environmental Modeling Progress and Research
  Issues, editors, Michael F. Goodchild, Louis T.
  Steyaert, Bradley O. Parks, Carol Johnston, David
  Maidment, Michael Crane, and Sandi Glendinning,
  GIS World Books.
• Goodchild, Michael F., "The Spatial Data
  Infrastructure of Environmental Modeling", in GIS
  and Environmental Modeling (see above).
• Faber, G. Brenda, William W. Wallace, Raymond M.
  P. Miller, "Collaborative Modeling for
  Environmental Decision Making", proceedings of
  the GIS'96 Tenth Annual Symposium on Geographic
  Information Systems, Vancouver, B.C., March 1996.

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The larger context
(Chrisman, 1997)
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Concept of Spatial Objects
Raster Data Encoding

• POINTS
• LINES
• AREA

Vector Data Encoding
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Vector - Topology
Data Relationships are invariant to translation
and rotation
Vector - Topology
Descriptive
Spatial
Object
VAR1 VAR2
1 2 3
x1,y1 x2,y2 x3,y3
1 2 3
VAR1 VAR2
Fnode Tnode x1y1, x2y2
1
1 2
1 2
1 2 xxyy, xxyy 2 3
xxyy,xxyy
3
2
2
1
VAR1 VAR2
2
3
1 2
1 2
10, 11, 12, 15 10, .
15
10
1
4
12
5
11
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Map AlgebraRaster topology

• In a raster GIS, cartographic modeling
• is also named Map Algebra.
• Mathematical combinations of raster layers
• several types of functions
• Local functions do not consult the 8
  neighbors
• Focal functions function on the kernel of
  neighboring cells
• Zonal functions function on cells that test
  true in a different layer
• Global functions based upon the distribution
  of all cells
• Functions can be applied to one or multiple layers

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Focal Function Examples
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Spatial Data Analysis The accurate description
of data related to a process operating in space,
the exploration of patterns and relationships in
such data, and the search for explanation of such
patterns and relationships
Spatial Analysis vs. Spatial Data
Analysis Spatial Analysis what is here, and
where are all the Xs ??? Spatial Data Analysis
observation data for a process operating in
space and methods are used to describe or explain
the behavior, and/or relationship with other
phenomena.
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GPS Finding distance by measuring time

• The precise location is determined by the
  intersection of 4 spheres of time

ltlt 7/100 of a second after 400
400 p.m. gtgt
Receiver Satellite
G J K E T Y U O W V W T D H K
G J K E T Y U O W ...
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Satellite Remote Sensing
June 27, 2001
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SeaWifs, April 24, 1999
A zonal function between 3 raster layers
Thanks to Seelye Martion
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PATTERN (Landscape Ecology)

• Structure the spatial relationships among the
  distinctive ecosystems or elements
• Function the interactions among the spatial
  elements
• Change the alteration in the structure and
  function of the ecological mosaic over time

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Landscape Structure Physiognomy / Pattern

• Composition The presence and amount of each
  element type without spatially explicit measures.
• Proportion, richness, evenness, diversity
• Configuration The physical distribution in
  space and spatial character of elements.
• Isolation, placement, adjacency
• some metrics do both

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Types of Metrics

• Area Metrics
• Patch Density, Size and Variability
• Edge Metrics
• Shape Metrics
• Core Area Metrics
• Nearest-Neighbor Metrics
• Diversity Metrics
• Contagion and Interspersion Metrics

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Structured Process in Geostatistics
Represent the Data
Explore the Data
Fit a Model
Perform Diagnostics
Compare the Models
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Introduction to Geostatistics

• D is the spatial domain or area of interest
• s contains the spatial coordinates
• Z is a value located at the spatial coordinates

Z(s) s ? D Geostatistics Z random D fixed,
infinite, continuous Lattice Models Z random D
fixed, finite, (ir)regular grid Point Patterns Z
? 1 D random, finite
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Merge Bathymetry Topography
Thanks to David Finlayson
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Puget Sound DEM Resolving Coast Geomorphology
Thanks to David Finlayson
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Classified land surface response
June, 1981
Dec. 1998
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Our collection Pacific Northeast, Apr Sep,
1999 - 2002
Ocean Remote Sensing
SeaWifs, 1999, 1km monthly mean chlorophyll-a
estimates
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
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Flying