Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

• This module introduces Geographic Information Systems (GIS), covering definitions, benefits, applications, and components
• Learners define GIS, explain its significance across fields, describe real-world applications, components, types of data, and their uses.

What is GIS?

• A computerized tool for capturing, manipulating, storing, presenting, and managing geographically related data
• Coined in 1968 by Roger Tomlinson, who became known as "The Father of GIS"
• Aids in decision-making, solves geographic issues, and visualizes spatial environmental data
• Represents data related to space as maps like Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Open Street Maps,
• Maps include spatial data on locations, quantities, densities, and routes
• Software can be downloaded on smartphones or viewed on computers
• Allows data analysis, spatial information management, search creation, data storage/editing, and visual data sharing
• Applications include GMaps and OMaps

GIS Definition

• Integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information

Advances and Applications

• Advances in GIS combined with mathematical and statistical modeling tools have led to increased use of quantitative techniques in earth sciences
• It is a primary analysis tool for landslide hazard mapping, useful for spatial data management
• An excellent alternative to traditional mapping for monitoring geo-hazards
• Can investigate, monitor, and assess geo-hazards by building a geographical database

Data Collection and Integration

• Collects geographical data through modern techniques like GPS, remote sensing, location-aware services, surveys, and volunteered information
• Integrating GIS technology into information systems strengthens communication between government and communities

Top 5 Benefits of GIS

• Cost savings and increased efficiency
• Better decision making
• Improved communication
• Better record keeping
• Managing geographically

GIS Applications

• Agriculture
• Civil Engineering
• Crime Mapping
• Disaster Management
• Environmental Management
• Forestry
• Mining
• Public Health
• Transportation
• Urban Planning
• Waste Management
• Watershed Management

Agriculture

• Extensively used, especially in precision farming

Use in Farming

• Used for decisions on what and where to plant using historical data and sampling
• Aids with farm management, pest/disease tracking, crop monitoring, yield prediction, and soil analysis
• Agricultural agencies use it to support pesticide and food safety regulations, show economic impacts of policy and reveal environmental health issues

Mining Industry

• Mining companies use GIS to monitor environmental impacts and reclamation by analyzing soils, vegetation, surface hydrology, and groundwater
• Target mineral exploration
• Evaluate mining conditions
• Model mine construction
• Display geochemical and hydrology data
• Improve facility management and policing
• Apply for mining permits
• Assess environmental impact
• Manage land titles
• Process closures
• Plan reclamation activities
• Improve community education

Forestry

• Enhances forest management by helping landowners and managers evaluate species diversity, age, size, density, and timber volume
• Generating forest management plans, prescribing timber sales, updating inventories, and assessing insect/disease threats
• Remote sensing, combined with GIS, improves monitoring, mapping, and management of forest resources
• Storing forest inventory databases primarily within a GIS environment

Crucial Elements

• Helps understand land cover, availability, area, and human encroachment of protected forest areas and makes forest management decisions

Public Health

• Used in public health for epidemiological studies
• Effective response to disease outbreaks by tracking the sources of diseases and movements of contagions to identify at-risk populations and target interventions
• Used to analyze chronic disease trends, access to public health services, the built environment, respond to disasters, and design health communications programs

Transportation

• Transportation professionals use GIS as an important tool for managing, planning, evaluating, and maintaining transportation systems

GIS-T

• A specific branch of GIS
• Refers to applying geographic information technology to transportation problems

Civil Engineering

• Used to analyze, design, and implement effective solutions
• Aids in analysis, selection prioritization, and implementation in Civil Engineering projects
• Many applications in hydrology, hydraulics, surveying, environmental, water resources, transportation, geotechnics and other fields

Watershed Management

• The study of watershed characteristics aimed at sustainable resource distribution
• Supports water supply, water quality, drainage and runoff management

Water Resource Management

• Planning, developing, distributing and managing the optimum use of water resources
• Ideally balances competing demands for water and seeks equitable allocation, but faces practical challenges.

Crime Mapping

• Used by law enforcement to map, visualize, and analyze crime incident patterns as a component of crime analysis and CompStat policing
• Identifies crime hot spots, trends, and patterns and clarifies crime relationships to target efforts and patrol locations

Waste Management

• Analysis identifies suitable sites for solid waste disposal, which is vital in waste management
• GPS is used for observation and tracking waste, vehicles and paperwork

GIS in Waste Management

• Adds value by providing outputs for decision support and analysis
• Supports route planning for waste collection and site selection

Traditional Knowledge

• The knowledge about a country's biodiversity, applied uses, applications of biological resources, and prevalent practices
• It has economic potential, thus benefits must accrue to creators and holders of Traditional Knowledge (TK)
• Supports documenting and utilizing local knowledges in communities. Focuses on knowledges that encompass the experiences of a particular culture or society

Disaster Management

• An event causing great damage, injury, or loss of life
• Its discipline applies science, technology, planning, and management to deal with extreme events
• The emphasis is on prevention and loss reduction.

Urban Planning

• Area with high population density, containing interrelated activities

Traffic Analysis

• A management tool for setting objectives, targets for production, and decision-making
• Traffic Analysis, Assessing physical transformation of cities, Land suitability modeling, Delineating environmental sensitive area, Planning zones

Environmental Management

• It includes environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned, documented manner, organizational structure, planning and resources for environmental protection

GIS Capabilities

• Collect information for environmental data analysis, environmental planning and managing

Data Overlays

• A digital basemap can be overlaid with data or other layers of information onto a map in order to view spatial information and relationships

The Six Parts of a GIS

• Hardware
• Software
• Data
• Methods
• People
• Network

Hardware

• Refers to powerful computers, printers, output devices, input devices, CPU, large amounts of RAM, large monitors, and fast network connectivity

Software

• Refers to many free and commercial packages allowing a GIS user to perform GIS functions such as the manipulation, storage, query, and analysis of spatial and non-spatial information.

Data

• Refers to spatial and non-spatial information stored digitally.
• A GIS can ingest any type of data in different types of formats.

Methods

• Refer to formulas, statistics, analysis, and algorithms used to turn data into information and then knowledge

People

• General public using a printed map or skilled GIS professionals who build functionality and push limits

Network

• Refers to computer and social networks
• Assists in data dissemination, web maps, and web applications

Types of GIS Data Explored: Vector and Raster

Definitions

• A geodatabase is a database that is referenced to locations on the earth
• Attribute data is generally defined as additional information that can then be tied to spatial data

GIS Data Separation Types

• Separated into two categories: spatially referenced data, which is represented by vector and raster forms (including imagery) and attribute tables, which is represented as tabular data
• Spatial referenced data is further split into two types: vector and raster.
• Software applications primarily focus on the usage and manipulation of vector geodatabases with added components to work with raster-based geodatabases

Vector Data Types

• Split into three types: point, line (or arc), and polygon data

Point Data

• Used to represent nonadjacent discrete data points with zero dimensions
• Examples include schools, points of interest, and bridge locations
• Can also represent abstract points like city locations and place names

Line Data

• Used to represent linear features like rivers, trails, and streets with one dimension to measure length
• Features have a starting and ending point such as road centerlines and streams
• Symbology, line types, colors, and line thicknesses can distinguish arc features

Polygon Data

• Used to represent areas such as the boundary of a city, lake, or forest with two dimensions
• These measure area and perimeter
• Distinguished using thematic mapping symbology, patterns, or color schemes.

Raster Data

• The fourth type of feature: surfaces
• Cell-based
• Includes aerial and satellite imagery, which are cell-based
• Two types: continuous (temperature and elevation measurements) and discrete (population density.)
• Datasets: thematic data, spectral data, and pictures (imagery)

Digital Elevation Model (DEM)

• The thematic raster dataset shows elevation with each cell having a 30m pixel size
• Each area gives the viewer understanding of the topography of the region

Spatial hydrology modelling

• Such as extracting watersheds and flow lines also uses a raster-based system
• Spectral data is often used to derive vegetation geologic information by classifying the spectral signatures of each type of feature

Stairstepping

• Converts spatial data location information into a cell-based raster format
• Raster data is formed by each cell receiving the value of the feature that dominates the cell