Gislec1

Editor's Notes

• #6: An information system is designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display DATA. Remember: Data is NOT Information
• #8: Some software is optimized for manipulating databases. MS Access is an example of this. Modern database management programs utilize a relational database. This is a database that references each piece of information once and then keeps track of the relationships among them. In this way
• #9: A GIS can be best defined by defining the two parts of the term; geography and information system. Geography is a science that deals with the earth and life on the earth, while an information system is a way to capture, store, retrieve, sort, and process data to support some analytic process.
• #10: What makes the Information System geographic? The user needs to begin spatially!
• #11: A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing things that exist and events that happen on Earth. GIS technology integrates common database operations such as query and statistical analysis with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps. These abilities distinguish GIS from other information systems and make it valuable to a wide range of public, military and private enterprises for explaining events, predicting outcomes, and planning strategies. Whether siting a military base camp, finding the best soil for a tank to maneuver on, or figuring out the best low level air route for a bombing raid. Map making and geographic analysis are not new, but a GIS performs these tasks better and faster than do the old manual methods. And, before GIS technology, only a few people had the skills necessary to use geographic information to help with decision making and problem solving. Today, GIS is a multi-billion-dollar industry employing hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. GIS is taught in schools, colleges, and universities throughout the world. Professionals in every field are increasingly aware of the advantages of thinking and working geographically.
• #12: A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing things that exist and events that happen on Earth. GIS technology integrates common database operations such as query and statistical analysis with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps. These abilities distinguish GIS from other information systems and make it valuable to a wide range of public, military and private enterprises for explaining events, predicting outcomes, and planning strategies. Whether siting a military base camp, finding the best soil for a tank to maneuver on, or figuring out the best low level air route for a bombing raid. Map making and geographic analysis are not new, but a GIS performs these tasks better and faster than do the old manual methods. And, before GIS technology, only a few people had the skills necessary to use geographic information to help with decision making and problem solving. Today, GIS is a multi-billion-dollar industry employing hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. GIS is taught in schools, colleges, and universities throughout the world. Professionals in every field are increasingly aware of the advantages of thinking and working geographically.
• #13: GIS PROCESS: The GIS process involves six steps that are common to what we refer to as the end to end map-making process. 1. Define the spatial problem/question. .Define the GIS criteria. .Import or create the data sets .Perform the GIS analysis .Create the output .Decide whether or not the output solves or answers the spatial problem/question. If not, then refine the problem and start the process again.
• #15: Spatial data is essentially data with a location. It contains information about the location and shape of, and relationship among geographic features usually stored as coordinates. Spatial data comes in two types, VECTOR and RASTER. Geographic information systems work with two fundamentally different types of geographic models--the "vector model" and the "raster model."
• #16: A raster image comprises a collection of grid cells rather like a scanned map or picture. Both the vector and raster models for storing geographic data have unique advantages and disadvantages. Raster models do not provide precise locational information because space is divided into discrete grid cells. The assumption is that a point can be found within a grid cell.
• #17: In the vector model, information about points, lines, and polygons is encoded and stored as a collection of x,y coordinates. A single x, y coordinate, can describe the location of a point feature, such as a control tower. Linear features, such as roads and rivers, can be stored as a collection of point coordinates. Two coordinate pairs are enough to show location and orientation in space. Polygonal features, such as an area of operations and lakes, can be stored as a closed loop of coordinates. The vector model is extremely useful for describing discrete features, but less useful for describing continuously varying features such as soil type. Spatial data is unique to a GIS in that there are two aspects two it. It has a location and an attribute. The location can be either a geographic coordinate, MGRS coordinate, or any other (x,y) coordinate. The attribute can be either adjectival (describing the object) or have a magnitude (a numerical value).
• #18: We need symbolize spatial features in order to be able to associate attribute information. We can classify different features into different dimensions. Each classification of dimension is a conceptual classification. Points - “0” dimensionality. No length or Width. Each point is Discrete in that it can only occupy a given point in space at any given time. Lines - “1” dimensional. Length, but No Width. Must have a beginning and an ending point. Polygons - “2” dimensional. Length and Width. By adding Width, we can describe a feature as having an area. Surfaces - “3” dimensional. Length, Width, and Height. Surfaces have infinite number of values (e.g. Elevation). We say that this type of data is Continuous. When thinking of spatial elements, we must consider Spatial Scale. Depending on scale, we may want to represent a river as a line or a polygon.
• #20: In Raster we explicitly store attribute information and imply its location based on the position within the grid cell structure. In Vector, we explicitly store the entity information and where the entity is located. We rely on a database structure to link to attribute information.
• #23: I n p u t: Before geographic data can be used in a GIS, the data must be converted into a suitable digital format. The process of converting data from paper maps into computer files is called digitizing. Modern GIS technology can automate this process fully for large projects using scanning technology; smaller jobs may require some manual digitizing (using a digitizing table). Today many types of geographic data already exist in GIS-compatible formats. NIMA standard digital data exists in useable formats and can usually be loaded directly into a GIS.
• #24: This slide demonstrates heads-up digitizing done in ArcView.
• #25: Storage:For small GIS projects it may be sufficient to store geographic information as simple files. There comes a point, however, when data volumes become large and the number of data users becomes more than a few, that it is best to use a database There are many different designs of DBMSs, but in GIS the relational design has been the most useful. A DBMS is nothing more than computer software for managing a database--an integrated collection of data. In the relational design, data are stored conceptually as a collection of tables. Common fields in different tables are used to link them together. This surprisingly simple design has been so widely used primarily because of its flexibility and very wide deployment in applications both within and without GIS.
• #26: Analysis and M a n i p u l a t i o n:It is likely that data types required for a particular GIS project will need to be transformed or manipulated in some way to make them compatible with your system. For example, geographic information is available at different scales (street centerline files might be available at a scale of 1:100,000; Topographic line maps data such as ITD at 1:50,000). Before this information can be integrated, it must be transformed to the same scale. This could be a temporary transformation for display purposes or a permanent one required for analysis. GIS technology offers many tools for manipulating spatial data and for weeding out unnecessary data.
• #27: The overlay operation is one the most powerful functions in a GIS. It gives the user the ability to place the cartographic representation of thematic data over one another. However, this is hardly a new function developed by a GIS, but it has been revolutionized by the use of the computerized GIS.
• #28: There are many forms of output for a GIS. The first is usually softcopy, namely what you see on the screen. Most Military service member and commanders prefer to have something hardcopy. So more often than not, will require hard copy outputs. A full functioning GIS can do this. It can plot/print given the equipment, the 2D and 3D perspective views on a 2D map.
• #30: Talk to each one relevant to the audience.
• #31: This slide shows Helicopter Landing Zones within ArcInfo
• #32: Often times to map the ocean floor in terms of elevation we use Bathymetric data or DBTB (Digital Bathymetric Data Base). This slide also shows vector data overlaid on top of the data.
• #33: This slide shows a proximity analysis of railroads around the Tuzla airport in Bosnia. The buffer is 1000 meters and the areas in blue represent all areas within this 1000 meter range. CAUTION: DO NOT Make assumptions based on visual correspondence only. The user must obtain evidence on a true cause and effect relationship.
• #34: This slide shows an example of flight planning within ArcView through the use of Elevation and Cloud cover data.
• #38: CCM (Cross Country Movement) Analysis allows the user to model the cost (e.g. time) it would take for a give object to travel from point A to Point B given the difficulty of the terrain. For example, if a tank had to travel from point A to point B and you new how fast it could travel on certain road types, soil types, and slopes, you could model the travel cost.
• #39: This slide shows a CCM analysis along with a viewshed analysis. The viewshed analysis is used to illustrate what a person can or can not see from a certain point. The two areas denoted by the purple and turquoise angles illustrate two separate viewsheds. The region of overlap shows the area that can be see by both observers from their respective positions.
• #40: Facilities Management encompasses a wide range of applications. The examples shown above are: 1. Housing Assessments 2. Power Line Maintenance and Tracking 3. Crime around Schools 4. Water lines/pipes Maintenance and Tracking
• #41: This slide shows information on Airfields along with a picture/movie that has been hot-linked to the feature.
• #42: The slide shows a Network model, which gives the best route given certain criteria. The green squares denote bridges, which can serve as a limitations within the model. For example, if a bridge was impassible, we could factor that criteria into our model and the route could be recalculated giving us a different solution.
• #45: This slide shows a perspective view. A LANDSAT image has been draped over DTED and the buildings have been overlaid over the image and “grown” to represent a 3D view.