GEOG 2250 – INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

1
GEOG 2250 INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC
INFORMATION SYSTEMS

• INTRODUCTORY LECTURE

2
JOBS IN GIS

• (1) System developers
• highest level of technical skills
  
• programmers in Visual Basic, Java, C, C,
  Python, UML, Visio, CASE
• 1,000 people
• (2) System maintainers
• moderate to high technical skills
  
• modify existing code in Visual Basic, Java,
  Python
• 10,000 people

3
JOBS IN GIS

• (3) System users
• moderate technical skills
  
• know how to use the tools
• familiar with the technical issues
• know the application domains
• work for universities, corporations, govts.
• 100,000 people

4
CONTEXT OF GIS
D. Wright
5
CONTEXT OF GIS

• GISystems (GIS)
• emphasis on technology and tools
• implements storehouse of GISci knowledge
• GIScience (GISci)
• fundamental issues raised by the use of GIS and
  related technologies (e.g. spatial analysis, map
  projections, accuracy, scientific visualization)
• systematic study of the use of geographic
  information
• GIStudies (GISt)
• how systems and science are embedded in a
  societal context, applications

6
INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

• OUTLINE
• What is a GIS
• Context of GIS
• Why is a GIS important
• History of GIS

7
WHAT IS AN INFORMATION SYSTEM?

• information system provides a specific set of
  facts (the information) arranged in an orderly
  manner (the system)
• i.e. payroll, financial information and library
  holdings
• produces information which can be useful in
  decision-making

8
WHAT IS A GIS?

• a particular form of information system applied
  to geographical/spatial data (together with
  non-spatial information) for spatial analysis

9
WHAT IS A GIS?

• a GIS is a computer-based system that provides
  the following four sets of capabilities
• input
• data management (data storage and retrieval)
• manipulation and analysis
• output
• connection between elements of system is
  geography
• the common purpose is decision-making, for
  managing use of any spatially distributed
  entities (i.e. land, resources, transportation)

10
WHAT IS A GIS?

• organized collection of
• hardware
• software
• network
• data
• people
• procedures

11
WHAT IS A GIS?

• Hardware
• computer on which a GIS operates.
• i.e. centralized computer servers to desktop
  computers
• Data
• spatial and non-spatial information
• raster vs vector data models

12
WHAT IS A GIS?

• Software
• provides the functions and tools needed to store,
  analyze, and display geographic information.
• key software components are
• tools for the input and manipulation
• database management system (DBMS)
• tools that support geographic query, analysis,
  and visualization
• graphical user interface for easy access to tools

13
WHAT IS A GIS?

• People
• users range from technical specialists to those
  who use it to help them perform their everyday
  work (researchers).
• interaction needed between GIS group and users to
  plan analytical procedures and data structures
• Procedures
• data acquisition, data input, data storage, data
  analysis

14
QUESTIONS A GIS CAN ANSWER?

• Location What is at...?
• Condition Where is it?
• Trends What has changed since...?
• Patterns What spatial patterns exist?
• Modelling What if...?
• Spatial and Aspatial Queries
• aspatial query What is average population?
• spatial query Which cities are within 1000 km of
  each other? How many live in cities in Western
  Canada?

15
(No Transcript)
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18
WHAT IS A GIS?

• contributing disciplines and technologies
• Geography
• Cartography
• Remote sensing
• Photogrammetry
• Surveying
• Statistics
• Computer Science
• Mathematics

19
WHAT IS A GIS NOT?
20
WHAT IS A GIS NOT?

• a cartographic query gives information on design
  features
• a GIS query yields details or parameters about
  the features themselves, where the data are
  stored in a database.
• we can't "ask" a simple mapping system to display
  only where forest cover is "spruce" and average
  tree height is 50 metres.
• we can ask a GIS the same question and it will
  show where the query is true.

21
WHY IS A GIS IMPORTANT?

• offers consistent framework for analyzing
  geographical data (integrates spatial and other
  information into a single system)
• allows access to administrative records via their
  geographical positions
• makes connections between activities based on
  geographic proximity
• looking at data geographically can often suggest
  new insights, explanations
• e.g. we can link toxic waste records with school
  locations through geographic proximity

22
HISTORY OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
23
HISTORY OF GIS

• GIS as we know it around for last 40 years
  roots are much earlier
• built upon knowledge from geography, cartography,
  mathematics and computer science
• development of GIS was influenced by
• key groups, companies and individuals
• timely development of key concept

24
HISTORY OF GIS

• Motivations
• Academics - driven by pure and applied research
  potential
• Government - driven by potential enhancements to
  management
• Corporate - driven by commercial potential of GIS

25
HISTORY OF GIS

• 1700s
• modern surveying techniques topographic mapping
• data collection (scientific, census) thematic
  mapping
• idea of portraying different layers of data on a
  series of base maps, has been around much longer
  than computers

26
HISTORY OF GIS

• maps of the Battle of Yorktown (American
  Revolution) drawn by the French Cartographer
  Louis-Alexandre Berthier contained hinged
  overlays to show troop movements

27
HISTORY OF GIS

• 1800s
• first recognized spatial analysis and use of
  overlays (mid 1850s)
• i.e. Dr. John Snow used a map showing the
  locations of death by cholera in central London
  in 1854 to track source of outbreak to
  contaminated well

28
HISTORY OF GIS

• 1800s
• rudimentary elements of digital techniques for
  recording and analysis of geographic information
• i.e. 1890 Census used a punched-card system for
  manipulation and analysis of data

29
HISTORY OF GIS

• Early 1900s
• photo-lithography

• first computers (mainframes for GIS)

• separation of maps into layers

30
HISTORY OF GIS

• 1960s
• interest in computer mapping
• Harvard Lab major influence on GIS until early
  1980s (major pioneers grew up at Harvard Lab)
• development of SYMAP, SYMVU, GRID

31
HISTORY OF GIS

• Canadian Geographic Information System (1963)
• example of one of the earliest GISs developed
• Purpose
• analyze the data collected by the Canada Land
  Inventory (CLI)
• produce statistics to be used in developing land
  management plans
• developed at map scales of 150,000
• uses a simple rating scheme 1 (best) to 7
  (poorest)

32
HISTORY OF GIS

• Innovations
• digitizing and scanning used for map input
• required development of new techology
• geo-coordinates for entire country
• coding of lines with embedded topology
• separation of attribute and location files

33
HISTORY OF GIS

• 1970s
• first commercial mapping software (Intergraph and
  ESRI)
• development of mini-computers as GIS platforms
• launch of first remote sensing satellite

34
HISTORY OF GIS

• 1980s (GIS Decade)
• first software solely for GIS (Arc/Info)
• first global data sets
• Unix workstations (stable platform for GIS)
• first GIS textbook, journal, conferences

35
HISTORY OF GIS

• 1990s 2000s
• geometric increase in power, decrease in costs
• Windows NT and 95 as alternative to Unix
• viewer software (ArcView) user interface
  software
• consolidation of GIS software
• Web GIS (i.e. Mapquest)
• integration of multi-media