“What is GIS?”
Geographic information science (GIS) is a multidisciplinary field, which is flourished over past three decades [1]. As a scientific discipline, GIS helps the process of understanding spatial issues. It is used to record, manage, integrate, manipulate, analyze, and present the geographic information [1,2]. Taking advantage of these powerful functions, GIS has been widely used in various fields [3].
“System or Science?”
In the early 1960s, the geographer Roger Tomlinson, the “father of GIS”, first coined the term “geographic information system” [4]. At that time, GIS was regard as tools, techniques to handle the geo-data. Then, some scientists proposed that GIS should be a subdiscipline of geography or computer science. In their
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In 1997, Dawn J. Wright summarized an online discussion about this topic [5]. A bunch of relevant experts participated in the discussion. All their opinions were classified into three categories: GIS as a tool, as toolmaking, and as science. People, who support “GIS as a tool”, think GIS should belong to engineering for solving problems rather than to science. It is driven by the human practical needs. Those who viewed GIS as toolmaking believed that GIS is the process of creating tools and the tools can help users to better understand the geographic information. The rest of people who support “GIS as science” mainly claimed that GIS is a body of knowledge or method to discover and understand spatial theories. It governed how to measure, collect data, organize data, create the spatial models, and do spatial/temporal analysis, et al [2,5]. Although GIS has a close relationship with some disciplines (such as geography, cartography, geometrics, mathematic, statistics, information sciences, and computer science, et al), it has unique properties, questions, and aims to understand spatial theories. They insisted that GIS should be an independent scientific discipline [1, 2, …show more content…
The first phases, in the early 1970s, GIS was mainly about computer mapping. In the 1980s, with the changing of data format and development of computer environment, more attention was given to spatial database management. In the 1990s, geospatial analysis and modeling become the hottest research topic [4]. Michael Frank Goodchild has listed eight research topics, which he thought should be included in the GIS research field, in his 1992 paper [2]. These eight topics include 1) Data collection and measurement; 2) Data capture; 3) Spatial statistics; 4) Data modeling and theories of spatial data; 5) Data structures, algorithms, and processes; 6) Display; 7) Analytical tools; and 8) Institutional, managerial, and ethical
The main ideas presented in “Why Geography Matters…More Than Ever!” revolve around what exactly geography is, and the implications of the subject. Geography is the study of the physical world and human actions, it also covers the affects of human actions. Geography influences a plethora of topics and geographers do research on numerous subjects. “Geographers do research on glaciations and coastlines, on desert dunes and limestone caves, on weather and climate, even on plants and animals”(7). The author stresses how underrated geography is the present times, and how the introduction of social studies have doomed the subject of geography for future generations. In a section detailing the teaching of geography
In response to the two basic types of urban data at the City of Windsor, two GIS web service providers are devised, respectively a vector data service provider and an aerial photo service. Web service providers are computer servers to publish maps. The vector data service provider is an Object-Relational Database (ORD) based server where all GIS vector data is stored and indexed. The aerial photo service provider is a RDMS based server. High resolution aerial photos are stored in RDMS as pyramid images that can accelerate data distribution at different scales. ArcSDE, a middleware that can facilitate data management, data transfer, and data interaction in one RDMS or among RDMSs, is used to help the data communication between the database servers and map servers.
Chrisman, Nicholas Exploring Geographic Information Systems. New York , NY : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002
Historical geographer JB Harley wrote an essay on Map Deconstruction in 1989, in which Harley argues that a map is more than just a geographical representation of an area, his theory is that we need to look at a map not just as a geographical image but in its entire context. Harley points out that by an examination of the social structures that have influenced map making, that we may gain more knowledge about the world. The maps social construction is made from debate about what it should show. Harley broke away from the traditional argument about maps and examined the biases that govern the map and the map makers, by looking at what the maps included or excluded. Harley’s “basic argument within this essay is that we should encourage an epistemological shift in the way we interpret the nature of cartography.” Therefore Harley’s aim within his essay on ‘Deconstructing the Map’ was to break down the assumed ideas of a map being a purely scientific creation.
The diverse nature of Geography has always attracted me to the subject, and the bridge it forms between the Arts and the Sciences reflects many of my interests. I am greatly enjoying the work which I am doing for the A level syllabus, on both the human and physical sides of the course, and would like to continue to study in both these fields. Geography gives the opportunity to accumulate a valuable range of skills, and I particularly enjoy the variety of analytical, numerical, bibliographical and research skills which I am called upon to use. The study of Geography will enable me to consider complex interactions between the human and physical environments, and the scope for useful research within the subject is very appealing. I have attended a number of Geographical Association lectures organised by my local branch, and look forward to taking responsibility for my own work in response to such stimulus.
Hillier, A., & Culhane, D. (2013). GIS Applications and Administrative Data to Support Community Change. In M. Weil (Ed.), The Handbook of Community Practice (2nd ed., pp. 827-844). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Retrieved from
GIS is regarded as an advanced technology that integrates other kinds of know-how using geographical data or information. The concept is a very powerful and effective technology, as it allows geographers to utilize their data and techniques in a way that merges traditional methods, including map overlay analysis, with more advanced modern methods to produce improved systems (Mavoa, Witten, McCranor & O’Sullivanc 2012, p. 17). Through GIS, geographers and engineers can effectively model, map, query, and evaluate large quantities of information kept in a single database. GIS is gaining popularity in road transportation where it provides effective and valuable expertise and equipment for managing vehicles during traffic. The technology provides a means for managing road transport by way of spatial reference systems, especially where roads form a convoluted transportation network (Razzak, Khan & Jalal 2011, p. 641).
Geographers plan new communities, decide where new highways should be placed, and establish evacuation plans. Computerized mapping and data analysis is known as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a new frontier in geography. Spatial data is gathered on a variety of subjects and input onto a computer. GIS users can create an infinite number of maps by requesting portions of the data to plot.
Geographical information system (or GIS) is a type of information system used for collecting data to analyze and to generate maps. In a sense, data is collected from different regions to be placed on a map to study and learn the results. This data can be a tax assessor's office that produces land use map for appraisers and planners to another part of the spectrum, where a wastewater department decides the most important areas of repair of the water system after a natural disaster. Different types of businesses from marketing to the police department will use GIS to track different information but perhaps in the same map.
The Geosynthetics has such a major role to play in solving major problems thanks to its properties which enable them to do so. Here is a list which describes its ability.
Overall, I think the scope of geoinformatics is wide and promising, with a great potential for our country. With my profile, experience and future training I am the right person to make the most of it.
... Urbanization and mega Cities: The Need for Spatial Information Management.’ FIG REPORT publication No. 48, January 2010. Retrieved on March 9, 2011 from www.fig.net/pub/figpub/pub48/figpub48.pdf
Geographical concepts have been traced back to ancient days, geography is defining as the scientific study of the location of people and activity across earth and reasons for their distribution. It asks where and why things are where they are. Geographers organizes materials by the places they are located, thus being they have concluded that what happens in one place affects what happens in another place and can further affect conditions in the near future. Like any other subject geography has its own language and knowledge for better understanding of its concepts. Thinking geographically means learning the language, we need both geographical vocabulary and grammar in order to do this. Geography has concepts that enables us to have geographical
These systems play very significant roles in organizations (Baker, & Cai, 1992). The technology brings together geographical features and tabulates data with an aim of mapping, analyzing and assessing various problem on the earth’s surface. Since geography is the most important component of geographical information system, some portions of the relevant data are spatial. It involves referencing data according to its position on the earth. This system operates at different levels. On its basic levels, the system is used as a computer cartography for straightforward mapping. At this level, it uses statistical and spatial methods to analyze and attribute information. This results in interpolated information, derivative information and/or prioritized information. Although geospatial engineering is often used to mean geographical information systems, it is important to note that geospatial engineering is broader term compared to GIS. Geospatial refer to the use of all the technologies of geographic data (Goodchild, 2007). This means that some applications may fall under the geospatial field even though they
GIS is an emerging method of data storage and interpretation. GIS is, simply put a database. It is many tables of data organized by one common denominator, location. The data in a GIS system is organized spatially, or by its physical location on the base map. The information that is stored in the database is the location and attributes that exist in that base map, such as streets, highways, water lines, sewers, manholes, properties, and buildings, etc. each of these items don’t just exist in the database, the attributes associated with the item is also stored. A good example of this would be a specific sewer line, from and arbitrary point A to a point B. Ideally, the sewer line would be represented graphically, with a line connecting the two points or something of the like. When one retrieves the information for that line in particular, the attribute data would be shown. This data would include the size of pipe, the pipe material, the upper invert elevation, the downstream invert elevation, the date installed, and any problem history associated with that line. This is the very gist of what a GIS system is.