Introduction to GIS

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Introduction to GIS
Basic overview What is GIS, what types of data,
what applications?
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Topics GIS part of course

• Basic knowledge geography, cartography
• GIS data and representation
• GIS data sources and acquisition
• GIS data structures
• GIS analysis
• GIS visualization (cartography) algorithms

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This lecture

• What is a GIS?
• Examples of applications of GIS
• Basic functionality of GIS
• What is typical about GIS?
• What software and companies?
• Role of computer science

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What is GIS? Definitions

• A powerful set of tools for collecting, storing,
  retrieving at will, transforming and displaying
  spatial data from the real world (Burrough,
  1986)
• A system for capturing, storing checking,
  manipulating, analysing and displaying data which
  are spatially referenced to the Earth (Dept. of
  Environment, 1987)
• An information technology which stores, analyses,
  and displays both spatial and non-spatial data
  (Parker, 1988)

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Definitions, continued

• A database system in which most of the data are
  spatially indexed, and upon which a set of
  procedures operated in order to answer queries
  about spatial entities in the database (Smith et
  al., 1987)
• A decision support system involving the
  integration of spatially referenced data in a
  problem solving environment (Cowen, 1988)

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Differences Similarities

• Set of tools
• System
• Database system
• Decision support system
• Also A technology

• Spatial data is essential
• At the least an aid for input, storage,
  manipulation, analysis and visualization of data

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Most common use of GIS

• Management of geographic data
• land use
• land ownership
• date of origin of features (e.g. buildings)
• ...with a possibility of querying

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Important example use

• Site planning find locations that satisfy a
  combination of properties (e.g. for VINEX
  locations)
• not built up
• not forest
• near a train station
• at least 8 km2
• ...

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What is typical about GIS?

• Applications are spatial
• Problems are not well-defined multiple criteria
  must be met simultaneously, concepts often not
  well-defined (e.g. Groene Hart, surroundings of
  Arnhem)
• Data is unreliable, expensive to get, sometimes
  outdated, sometimes only partially relevant,
  difficult to integrate, ...

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Firsts of data storage, I

• Geometric and attribute data
• Geometry several map layers
• Attribute as in normal databases

• municipality Zierikzee
• population 45.000
• ..

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Firsts of data storage, II

• Geometry vector and raster representation

(4.237 Lon, 52.674 Lat)
(4.234 Lon, 52.671 Lat)
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Output of a GIS

• Maps- theme choice- stacking order choice-
  colors, projection, etc.
• Tables, states
• Query results There is x square meter with the
  requested properties
• Analysis results (e.g., for decision support)

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Another example use and output
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More examples

• Pollution
• Natural disasters
• Management (road, water,...)
• Planning

outcome of air pollution analysis
earthquakes and break lines
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GIS in the Netherlands data

• Cadastral offices (GBKN)
• Topographic Service (TOP10vector, raster)
• Road and WaterManagement (NWB)
• Elevation (AHN)
• Subsurface (TNO)
• Pollution data,health data (TNO, RIVM)
• Census bureauCBS (statistical data)
• Companies (road networks)

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Actueel Hoogtebestand

• Data comes with metadata
• Average error 5 cm
• Standard deviation 15 cm
• Filtering of houses, trees, cars, ...

Price 200.000,- for the original data points
100.000,- for the 5m grid
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Cadastre/Topographic Service
TOP10vector
TOP10roads
Subscription per 1 km2 13,32 For all of NL
401.000,-
288.000,-
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Cadastre/Topographic Service
TOP10raster without text
TOP10raster with text
TOP50raster
TOP250raster
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GIS in the Netherlands users

• RIVM
• Cadastre
• TNO (defense, security and safety built
  environment and geosciences)
• Alterra (agricultural research)
• Rijkswaterstaat (ministery of VROM)
• Companies
• Universities (research) physical and human
  geography, cartography, archeology, biology,
  meteorology, geophysics, geology, .

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Application areas general

• Commerce business
• Market share analysis
• Insurance
• Fleet management
• Direct marketing
• Target marketing
• Retail site location
• Environment
• Pollution monitoring
• Natural hazard assessment
• Resource management
• Environmental impact assessment

• Socio-economic/ government
• Health
• Local government
• Transport planning
• Service planning
• Urban management
• Utilities
• Network management
• Service provision
• Telecommunications
• Emergency repairs

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GIS in the Netherlands research

• ITC International Institute for Aerospace Survey
  and Earth Sciences (Enschede)
• Universities (e.g., Delft, Utrecht, Wageningen)

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GIS types of companies

• GIS, general software (ESRI, Intergraph, MapInfo,
  Oracle, Tensing)
• Route planners (TomTom, Garmin, Magellan)
• Internet (geographic search engines/geographic
  IR, Google Maps/Earth, MapQuest, ...)
• Data services, training, consultancy, applications

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Main GIS company ESRI (Environmental Systems
Research Institute)

• Since 1969 (!)
• 70th largest softwarecompany (in 2008)

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Software of ESRI

• ArcGis GIS
• ArcView desktop mapping
• ArcExplorer GIS data viewer and query tool via
  map
• MapObjects library to add GIS functionality to
  Windows applications
• Spatial Database Engine client/server software
  to adjoin GIS to existing DBMS (Oracle, Sybase,
  Microsoft SQL server, )
• ArcLogistics, ArcCAD (GIS functionality in
  AutoCAD), ArcFM (facilities management),
  NetEngine (network analysis), Maplex (label
  placement)

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Software of ESRI for Internet

• ArcIMS (Internet Mapping Solutions) GIS
• ArcView IMS (Internet Map Server) desktop
  mapping on the Internet
• MapObjects IMS library to add GIS functionality
  to Windows applications

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Software with GIS features

• Desktop mapping (Freehand, Map Maker, PolyMap)
• Car Navigation Systems (TomTom, Garmin, Magellan)
• Landuse Information Systems
• Software for (geo)statistics, interpolation
  (SYSTAT)

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Computer science issues of GIS

• Databases
• (Geometric) algorithms
• Graphics, scientific visualization
• Knowledge technology, decision support systems
• Combinatorial optimization
• Interface design