Introduction to GIS

Basic overview: What is GIS, what types of data, what applications?

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

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

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)

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)

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

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

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

– ...

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• Data is unreliable, expensive to get, sometimes outdated, sometimes only partially relevant, difficult to integrate, ...

Firsts of data storage, I

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

• municipality Zierikzee• population 45.000• …..

Firsts of data storage, II

• Geometry: vector and raster representation

(4.234 Lon, 52.671 Lat)

(4.237 Lon, 52.674 Lat)

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)

Another example use and output

More examples

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

earthquakes and break lines

outcome of air pollution analysis

GIS in the Netherlands: data

• Cadastral offices (GBKN)• Topographic Service

(TOP10vector, raster)• Road and Water

Management (NWB)• Elevation (AHN)• Subsurface (TNO)• Pollution data,

health data (TNO, RIVM)• Census bureau:

CBS (statistical data)• Companies (road networks)

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

Cadastre/Topographic Service

TOP10vector TOP10roads

Subscription per 1 km2: 13,32For all of NL: 401.000,- 288.000,-

Cadastre/Topographic Service

TOP50raster TOP250raster

TOP10rasterwithout text

TOP10rasterwith text

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, ….

Application areas: general

• Socio-economic/ government– Health– Local government– Transport planning– Service planning– Urban management

• Utilities– Network management– Service provision– Telecommunications– Emergency repairs

• 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

GIS in the Netherlands: research

• ITC: International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (Enschede)

• Universities (e.g., Delft, Utrecht, Wageningen)

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

Main GIS company: ESRI (Environmental Systems

Research Institute)

• Since 1969 (!)• 70th largest software

company (in 2008)

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)

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

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)

Computer science issues of GIS

• Databases• (Geometric) algorithms• Graphics, scientific visualization• Knowledge technology, decision support

systems• Combinatorial optimization• Interface design