GISdevelopment.

net --- > Tutorials

Overview of GIS
Introduction
Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer based information system used to digitally
represent and analyse the geographic features present on the Earth' surface and the events
(non-spatial attributes linked to the geography under study) that taking place on it. The meaning
to represent digitally is to convert analog (smooth line) into a digital form.

"Every object present on the Earth can be geo-referenced", is the fundamental key of associating
any database to GIS. Here, term 'database' is a collection of information about things and their
relationship to each other, and 'geo-referencing' refers to the location of a layer or coverage in
space defined by the co-ordinate referencing system.

Work on GIS began in late 1950s, but first GIS software came only in late 1970s from the lab of
the ESRI. Canada was the pioneer in the development of GIS as a result of innovations dating
back to early 1960s. Much of the credit for the early development of GIS goes to Roger
Tomilson. Evolution of GIS has transformed and revolutionized the the ways in which planners,
engineers, managers etc. conduct the database management and analysis.

Some Interesting Links :

1. What is GIS ?
A complete compilation of information on GIS
2. GIS guide to Good Practice
A brief introduction to GIS and Archaeology
3. Introduction to GIS
An Introduction to GIS using Maps
4. An Introduction to GIS in Real Estate
Gil Castle's final draft of the real estate column appearing in Real Estate Issues, August
1995
5. A Brief Introduction to GIS Technology
Enhancing Community Capacity to use Spatial Information

Defining GIS
A GIS is an information system designed to work with data referenced by spatial / geographical
coordinates. In other words, GIS is both a database system with specific capabilities for spatially
referenced data as well as a set of operations for working with the data. It may also be
considered as a higher order map.

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
and private enterprises for explaining events, predicting outcomes, and planning strategies.
(ESRI)

A Geographic Information System is a computer based system which is used to digitally

reproduce and analyse the feature present on earth surface and the events that take place on it.
In the light of the fact that almost 70% of the data has geographical reference as it's
denominator, it becomes imperative to underline the importance of a system which can represent
the given data geographically.

A typical GIS can be understood by the help of various definitions given below:-

 A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based tool for mapping and

analyzing things that exist and events that happen on Earth
 Burrough in 1986 defined GIS as, "Set of tools for collecting, storing, retrieving at will,
transforming and displaying spatial data from the real world for a particular set of
purposes"
 Arnoff in 1989 defines GIS as, "a computer based system that provides four sets of
capabilities to handle geo-referenced data :
 data input
 data management (data storage and retrieval)
 manipulation and analysis
 data output. "

Hence GIS is looked upon as a tool to assist in decision-making and management of attributes
that needs to be analysed spatially.

Some Interesting Links :

1. What is GIS ?
Geographical Information Systems Definition by GIS.Com
2. A revised Definition of GIS
For the purpose of Exploring Geographical Information Systems
3. Geographical Information Systems
U.S Geological Survey's definition of Geographical information Systems
4. GIS
Definition of GIS, Potential Links, and Products
5. Definition of GIS
David Walker's Resource Information
6. What is a GIS ?
Geographical Information Systems as defined by ESRI
7. Definition of GIS
A revised definition of Geographic Information System given by Chrisman
8. Definitions of GIS
Compiled by Kenneth E. Foote and Margaret Lynch, The Geographer's Craft Project,
Department of Geography, University of Texas at Austin.
9. Geographical Information Systems : Definition
Definition of Geographical Information Systems by Data Access and Support Center,
State of Kansas
10. GIS - A Definition
ESRI Canada definition of GIS
11. Definition Of GIS: The Manager's Perspective
Paper presented at the International Workshop on Dynamic and Multi-Dimensional GIS
held at Hong Kong, 25-26th August 1997
12. What is a GIS ?
U.S Army Corps of Engineers definition of Geographical Information Systems
13. GIS : Definition
Definition of GIS by the Northwest GIS Services Inc.
Answers GIS can give

Till now GIS has been described in two ways:

1. Through formal definitions, and

2. Through technology's ability to carry out spatial operations, linking data sets together.

However there is another way to describe GIS by listing the type of questions the technology can
(or should be able to) answer. Location, Condition, Trends, patterns, Modelling, Aspatial
questions, Spatial questions. There are five type of questions that a sophisticated GIS can
answer:

Location What is at………….?

The first of these questions seeks to find out what exists at a particular location. A location can
be described in many ways, using, for example place name, post code, or geographic reference
such as longitude/latitude or x/y.

Condition Where is it………….?

The second question is the converse of the first and requires spatial data to answer. Instead of
identifying what exists at a given location, one may wish to find location(s) where certain
conditions are satisfied (e.g., an unforested section of at-least 2000 square meters in size, within
100 meters of road, and with soils suitable for supporting buildings)

Trends What has changed since…………..?

The third question might involve both the first two and seeks to find the differences (e.g. in land
use or elevation) over time.

Patterns What spatial patterns exists…………..?

This question is more sophisticated. One might ask this question to determine whether landslides
are mostly occurring near streams. It might be just as important to know how many anomalies
there are that do not fit the pattern and where they are located.

Modelling What if……………..?

"What if…" questions are posed to determine what happens, for example, if a new road is added
to a network or if a toxic substance seeps into the local ground water supply. Answering this type
of question requires both geographic and other information (as well as specific models). GIS
permits spatial operation.

Aspatial Questions
"What's the average number of people working with GIS in each location?" is an aspatial
question - the answer to which does not require the stored value of latitude and longitude; nor
does it describe where the places are in relation with each other.

Spatial Questions
" How many people work with GIS in the major centres of Delhi" OR " Which centres lie within 10
Kms. of each other? ", OR " What is the shortest route passing through all these centres". These
are spatial questions that can only be answered using latitude and longitude data and other
information such as the radius of earth. Geographic Information Systems can answer such
questions.

Need of GIS?
Many professionals, such as foresters, urban planners, and geologists, have recognized the
importance of spatial dimensions in organising & analysing information. Whether a discipline is
concerned with the very practical aspects of business, or is concerned with purely academic
research, geographic information system can introduce a perspective, which can provide
valuable insights as

1. 70% of the information has geographic location as it's denominator making spatial
analysis an essential tool.
2. Ability to assimilate divergent sources of data both spatial and non-spatial (attribute
data).
3. Visualization Impact
4. Analytical Capability
5. Sharing of Information

Some Interesting Links :

1. GIS - The Need for Quality

An article by Richard Markham and David Rix
2. GIS Development Guide : Needs Assessment
An article by New York State Archieves

Factors Aiding the rise of GIS.

 Revolution in Information Technology.

 Computer Technology.
 Remote Sensing.
 Global Positioning System.
 Communication Technology.
 Rapidly declining cost of Computer Hardware, and at the same time, exponential growth
of operational speed of computers.
 Enhanced functionality of software and their user-friendliness.
 Visualizing impact of GIS corroborating the Chinese proverb "a picture is worth a
thousand words."
 Geographical feature and data describing it are part of our everyday lives & most of our
everyday decisions are influenced by some facet of Geography.

Philosophy of GIS
The proliferation of GIS is explained by its unique ability to assimilate data from widely divergent
sources, to analyse trends over time, and to spatially evaluate impacts caused by development.

For an experienced analyst, GIS is an extension one's own analytical thinking. The system has
no in-built solutions for any spatial problems; it depends upon the analyst.

The importance of different factors of GIS in decreasing order is as under:

 Spatial Analysis
 Database
 Software
 Hardware

GIS involves complete understanding about patterns, space, and processes or methodology
needed to approach a problem. It is a tool acting as a means to attain certain objective quickly
and efficiently. Its applicability is realized when the user fully understands the overall spatial
concept under which a particular GIS is established and analyses his specific application in the
light of those established parameters.

Before the GIS implementation is considered the objectives, both immediate and long term, have
to be considered. Since the effectiveness and efficiency (i.e. benefit against cost) of the GIS will
depend largely on the quality of initial field data captured, organizational design has to be
decided upon to maintain this data continuously. This initial data capture is most important.

Some Interesting Links :

 Philosophy of GIS
Msc Abstracts, 1996 UNIGIS U.K
 Philosophy of GIS
An article by NOAA National Data Centers, NGDCA
 Philosophy of GIS
Original version of the invited article published in the December 1994 Journal of
Forestry, which was a special edition devoted to Forest Inventory.
 Implementing GIS in Lebanon
Implementing GIS in Lebanon - A Case Study by Jacques Ekmekji, Director GIS
Services Division/Associate Khatib & Alami - Consolidated Engineering Company Beirut
- Lebanon

Advantages of GIS
The Geographic Information System has been an effective tool for implementation and
monitoring of municipal infrastructure. The use of GIS has been in vogue primarily due to the
advantage mentioned below:

 Planning of project
 Make better decisions
 Visual Analysis
 Improve Organizational Integration

Planning Of Project
Advantage of GIS is often found in detailed planning of project having a large spatial component,
where analysis of the problem is a pre requisite at the start of the project. Thematic maps
generation is possible on one or more than one base maps, example: the generation of a land
use map on the basis of a soil composition, vegetation and topography. The unique combination
of certain features facilitates the creation of such thematic maps. With the various modules within
GIS it is possible to calculate surface, length, width and distance.

Making Decisions
The adage "better information leads to better decisions" is as true for GIS as it is for other
information systems. A GIS, however, is not an automated decision making system but a tool to
query, analyze, and map data in support of the decision making process. GIS technology has
been used to assist in tasks such as presenting information at planning inquiries, helping resolve
territorial disputes, and siting pylons in such a way as to minimize visual intrusion.

Visual Analysis
Digital Terrain Modeling (DTM) is an important utility of GIS. Using DTM/3D modeling, landscape
can be better visualized, leading to a better understanding of certain relations in the landscape.
Many relevant calculations, such as (potential) lakes and water volumes, soil erosion volume
(Example: landslides), quantities of earth to be moved (channels, dams, roads, embankments,
land leveling) and hydrological modeling becomes easier.
Not only in the previously mentioned fields but also in the social sciences GIS can prove
extremely useful. Besides the process of formulating scenarios for an Environmental Impact
Assessment, GIS can be a valuable tool for sociologists to analyze administrative data such as
population distribution, market localization and other related features.

Improving Organizational Integration

Many organizations that have implemented a GIS have found that one of its main benefits is
improved management of their own organization and resources. Because GIS has the ability to
link data sets together by geography, it facilitates interdepartmental information sharing and
communication. By creating a shared database one department can benefit from the work of
another--data can be collected once and used many times.

As communication increases among individuals and departments, redundancy is reduced,

productivity is enhanced, and overall organizational efficiency is improved. Thus, in a utility
company the customer and infrastructure databases can be integrated so that when there is
planned maintenance, affected people can be informed by computer-generated letters.

Some Interesting Links:

 Geographical Information Systems

Advantages of GIS over Manual Methods
 The GeoData Institute
The GIS Awarness Booklet by University of Southampton

Components of GIS
GIS constitutes of five key components:

 Hardware
 Software
 Data
 People
 Method

Hardware
It consists of the computer system on which the GIS software will run. The choice of hardware
system range from 300MHz Personal Computers to Super Computers having capability in Tera
FLOPS. The computer forms the backbone of the GIS hardware, which gets it's input through the
Scanner or a digitizer board. Scanner converts a picture into a digital image for further
processing. The output of scanner can be stored in many formats e.g. TIFF, BMP, JPG etc. A
digitizer board is flat board used for vectorisation of a given map objects. Printers and plotters
are the most common output devices for a GIS hardware setup.

Software
GIS software provides the functions and tools needed to store, analyze, and display geographic
information. GIS softwares in use are MapInfo, ARC/Info, AutoCAD Map, etc. The software
available can be said to be application specific. When the low cost GIS work is to be carried out
desktop MapInfo is the suitable option. It is easy to use and supports many GIS feature. If the
user intends to carry out extensive analysis on GIS, ARC/Info is the preferred option. For the
people using AutoCAD and willing to step into GIS, AutoCAD Map is a good option.

Data
Geographic data and related tabular data can be collected in-house or purchased from a
commercial data provider. The digital map forms the basic data input for GIS. Tabular data
related to the map objects can also be attached to the digital data. A GIS will integrate spatial
data with other data resources and can even use a DBMS, used by most organization to
maintain their data, to manage spatial data.

People
GIS users range from technical specialists who design and maintain the system to those who use
it to help them perform their everyday work. The people who useGIS can be broadly classified
into two classes. The CAD/GIS operator, whose work is to vectorise the map objects. The use of
this vectorised data to perform query, analysis or any other work is the responsibility of a GIS
engineer/user.

Method
And above all a successful GIS operates according to a well-designed plan and business rules,
which are the models and operating practices unique to each organization. There are various
techniques used for map creation and further usage for any project. The map creation can either
be automated raster to vector creator or it can be manually vectorised using the scanned images.
The source of these digital maps can be either map prepared by any survey agency or satellite
imagery.

Some Interesting Links :

 Components of GIS
A working GIS integrates five key components - ESRI
 Components of GIS
by Semcor Information Systems and Services

GIS Applications
Computerized mapping and spatial analysis have been developed simultaneously in several
related fields. The present status would not have been achieved without close interaction
between various fields such as utility networks, cadastral mapping, topographic mapping,
thematic cartography, surveying and photogrammetery remote sensing, image processing,
computer science, rural and urban planning, earth science, and geography.

The GIS technology is rapidly becoming a standard tool for management of natural resources.
The effective use of large spatial data volumes is dependent upon the existence of an efficient
geographic handling and processing system to transform this data into usable information.

The GIS technology is used to assist decision-makers by indicating various alternatives in

development and conservation planning and by modelling the potential outcomes of a series of
scenarios. It should be noted that any task begins and ends with the real world. Data are
collected about the real world. Of necessity, the product is an abstraction; it is not possible (and
not desired) to handle every last detail. After the data are analysed, information is compiled for
decision-makers. Based on this information, actions are taken and plans implemented in the real
world.

Major areas of application

 Different streams of planning

Urban planning, housing, transportation planning architectural conservation, urban
design, landscape.
 Street Network Based Application
It is an addressed matched application, vehicle routing and scheduling: location and site
selection and disaster planning.
 Natural Resource Based Application
Management and environmental impact analysis of wild and scenic recreational
resources, flood plain, wetlands, acquifers, forests, and wildlife.
 View Shed Analysis
Hazardous or toxic factories siting and ground water modelling. Wild life habitat study
and migrational route planning.