GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

SYSTEMS I

LIVINGSTONE ASEM

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 SESSION ONE

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 SESSION OBJECTIVES

At the end of the session, students should be able to:

• Understand the what is Geographic Information
system,
• Understand what are the elements of GIS,
• Understand what are the components of GIS,
• Identify some GIS applications in public health

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 What Is A
Geographic
Information System ?
 Introduction to GIS
Context: Why GIS?
• Many of the issues in our world have a critical
spatial component!
– Land management
– Property lines, easements, right of ways
– Data on land values, taxation assessment
– Business (Health Facility) site selection, advertising
– Proximity of ‘our’ land to other facilities (pollution,
hunting, municipal, federal, state)
• “I don’t know what’s over that hill” is a common problem. What is adjacent to
the land we are using?
 Enter GIS
A computer-based system for:
Capturing,
Storing,
Manipulating,
Analysing and
Displaying,
huge amounts of spatial data.
 Elements of GIS
• Pedagogically GIS consists of the following
elements:
• Geospatial Data,
• Data acquisition,
• Data management,
• Data display,
• Data exploration and
• Data analysis
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 Geospatial Data
• Geospatial data cover the location of spatial
features. To locate spatial features on the
earths surface, we can use either a geographic
coordinate system or projected coordinate
system.
• The geographic coordinate system is
expressed in longitude and latitude and a
projected coordinate system in x, y
coordinates.
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 Data Acquisition
• Data acquisition is usually the first step in
conducting GIS project. The need for
geospatial data is linked to the development of
data clearing houses and goeportals.
• To use public data, it is important to obtain
metadata, which provide information about the
data.
• If public data is not available, new data be
digitised from paper maps, created from
l satillite images, survey data, street address etc.
 Data managment
• A GIS usually employ a database management
system to handle attribute data, which can be
large in size in the cases of a vector data.
• Attribute data are stored in a relational
database as a collection of tables. These tables
can be prepared, maintained, and edited
seperately, but can also be linked for data
search and retrival.
• A DBMS offers join and relate operations
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 Data display
• A routine GIS operation is mapmaking because
maps are an interface to GIS. Mapmaking can
be informal or formal in GIS
• It is informal when we view geospatail data on
maps and formal when we produce maps for
professional presentations and reports.
• To make a good map you must have basic
understanding of map symbols, colours, and
typology and their relationship to a mapped
data.
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 Data Exploration
• Data exploration refers to activities of
visualizing, manipulation, and querying data
using maps, tables and graphs.
• These activities are precursor to formal data
analysis. It can be map- or feature-based.
• Map-based exploration includes data
classification, data aggregation and map
comparison.
• Feature-based query can involve either
attribute or spatial data.
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 Data analysis

• GIS has a large number of tools for data analysis.

Some are basic and others discipline or
applications specific.
• Two basic tools for vector data analysis are
buffering and overlay: buffering create buffer
zones from selected features and overlay combines
the geometries and attributes of the input layers.
• Four basic tools for raster data are local,
neighborhood, zonal and global operations
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 Components of a GIS
Components of a GIS
                                                 
A working GIS integrates five key components:
hardware, software, data, people, and methods.

Hardware
Hardware comprises the equipment needed to support the many activities of GIS
ranging from data collection to data analysis. The central piece of equipment is the
workstation or PC, which runs the GIS software and is the attachment point for
ancillary equipment.
 Hardware components of GIS

•Hardware refers to the computer components that form the physical framework on which the
GIS runs and on which manipulations and analyses are performed.
•The computer has a hard disk drive for storing data and programmes, but extra storage can be
provided via network or by digital tape cassettes, optical CD-ROMs, and other devices.
•A digitizer or a scanner is used to convert maps and documents into digital form so that they
can be used by the computer programmes.
•A plotter or a printer or any other kind of display device is used to present the results of the
data processing.
•Inter-computer communication (Internet) is provided by local and global electronic networks
using special data lines with optical fibers or over ordinary telephone lines by using a device
known as a ‘modem’.
•The user controls the computer and the peripherals (a general term for plotters, printers,
digitizers and other apparatus linked to the computer) via the computer screen or visual
display unit (VDU) and keyboard, aided by a mouse or pointing device.
• 
Software
GIS software provides the functions and
tools needed to store, analyze, and display geographic information. Key
software components are:

• Tools for the input and manipulation of geographic information

• A database management system (DBMS)

• Tools that support geographic query, analysis, and visualization

• A graphical user interface (GUI) for easy access to tools

 Software Components of GIS
(Application Software Modules)

Images Processing
Map Digitizing System Statistical
Analysis
System System
Spatial Attribute
Database Database

Geographic Database
Analysis Management
Cartographic System
System Display
System
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 Software components ctd.
• Cartographic display system: This allows one to take selected elements of
the database and produce map outputs on the screen (displayed on the
monitor) or some hard copy device such as a printer or plotter.

• Map digitizing system: Employed to convert existing paper maps into

digital form. It involves a manual process of digitizing using an electronic
stylus or cursor or keypad on a digitizing tablet or board. The lines are
then stored electronically as a series of point location (x, y) coordinates
that when joined will form the lines.

• Database Management System (DBMS). This is a widely used term refers

to a type of software that is used to input, manage and analyze attribute
data. This is vital in all GIS. It is a comprehensive collection of related data
stored in logical files and collectively processed, usually in tabular form.

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Software components ctd.

• Geographic Analysis System. This enables

comparison of different entities based on their
common geographic occurrence. They may
take various forms such as;
• Query and Analysis
• Proximity Analysis
• Overlay analysis
• Visualization

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Software components ctd.

• Image Processing System. Some software systems

also include the ability to analyze remotely sensed
images and provide specialized statistical
analyses. Image processing systems allows one to
take remotely sensed imagery (e.g. LANDSAT or
SPOT) and convert it into interpreted map data
according to various classification procedures.
• Statistical Analysis System. This offers both
traditional statistical procedures as well as some
specialized routines for the analysis of spatial
data.
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GIS
GIS Software
Software Functions
Functions
 Data Entry
• Digitizing, Data Conversion, Attribute Entry
 Data Management
• Efficient, Non-redundant Storage
 Data Manipulation and Analysis
• Projection Management
• Buffers and Overlays
• Query and Selection
 Map Updating
• Graphic and Attribute Editing
 Display and Output
• Cartographic Design, Plotting, Reporting
Data
Possibly the most important component of a GIS is
the data. Geographic data and related tabular data
can be collected in-house or purchased from a
commercial data provider.

A GIS will integrate spatial data with other data

resources and can even use a DBMS, used by
most organizations to organize and maintain their
data, to manage spatial data.
People
GIS technology is of limited value
without the people who manage
the system and develop plans for
applying it to real-world problems.

GIS users range from technical specialists who

design and maintain the system to those who use it
to help them perform their everyday work.
Methods
A successful GIS operates according to a well-
designed plan and business rules, which are the
models and operating practices unique to each
organization.
GIS Tasks

General purpose GISs essentially perform six

processes or tasks.

• Input (capturing or acquisition of spatial and attribute data)

• Manipulation (editing of data)

• Management (organizing of files, conversion operations)

• Query and analyses

• Visualization (output of maps, charts and tables etc.)

 Benefits
Benefits of
of Using
Using GIS
GIS
 Typical Benefits of Using Automation (Cost Savings)

 Better Data Management (Efficient Storage and Updating)

 Faster Information Access (Better Decisions)

 Operational Efficiencies

 New Applications
 GIS
GISApplication
ApplicationAreas
Areas

 Base Mapping  Cartographic Production

 Oil and Gas Exploration  Geologic Mapping
 Planning and Zoning  Public Safety
 Forest Resource Inventory  Land Records
 Demographic Analysis  Transportation
 Water Resources  Legislative Redistricting
Demographic Analysis  Environmental Analysis
 Tax Assessment  Teaching and Research
 Many Others
 GIS
GISApplication
ApplicationAreas
AreasininHealth
Health
• Communicable Disease Control ( Meningitis Risk Mapping)
• ƒ Environmental Health Research, Planning and Operations
• ƒ Nutrition and Physical Activity
• ƒ Child and Youth Health
• ƒ Health Promotion
• ƒ Chronic Disease Prevention
• ƒ Injury
• ƒ Mental Health
• ƒ Vector Control
• ƒ Communication/Public Engagement
• ƒ Public Health Service Planning
• etc
 GIS Software Products
• Environmental Systems Research Institute
(ESRI): ArcGIS
• Quantum GIS project: QGIS
• Intergraph Corperation : GeoMedia
• MapInfo Corperation: MapInfo

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What Is Spatial
Data

The term ”spatial data” refers to the representation of multi-dimensional data, such
as points, lines and surfaces (Area), as a list of numbers using a particular
coordinate system. A typical example of spatial data is electronic map data, which is
used to represent the topography of the real world in a coordinate system.
 Relationship between Data and Information

Data are observations we make from monitoring the real world. Data are collected as
facts or evidence that may be processed to give them meaning and turn them into
information.

Information is therefore data with meaning and context added.

All data have three modes or dimensions:

Temporal – 1 January 2009

thematic – car accident, type of accident, casualty; and
Spatial – location – map coordinate (Hohoe Hospital)

All three dimensions of data are not mutually exclusive

 What is Spatial Data
Spatial Data is data that is characterized by:
• information about location;
• connections with other features; and
• details of non-spatial characteristics (attributes).

Example of spatial data about a motor accident

• Where = Nkrumah Circle (latitude and longitude)

• Connection details such as which service roads would allow the

police access

• attribute data e.g. nature of accident, number injured, vehicle

model, sex of driver etc.

Spatial Data = Spatial (Where) + Data (What)

Types of Spatial Data
There are two fundamentally different kinds of spatial data: raster data and vector data.

In a vector model, points define coordinates, and points and lines define the
borders between different aspects of the real world. The location of each of these
aspects on a map is specified and maintained using a consistent coordinate system.
Points, lines and polygons are used to represent coordinates or geographical
features that are irregularly distributed in the real world. Lines are used to
represent one-dimensional features such as roads, and polygons are used to
represent two-dimensional features such as forests and the like.

In a raster model, space is uniformly divided into units known as pixels or cells. The
location of a geographical aspect or set of coordinates is defined as a matrix of the
pixels and cells in which the aspect or set of coordinates exists. The level of detail
that it is possible to represent using a raster model depends on the cell size. The
area in each cell cannot be divided any further; that is, all of the attributes that
apply to the cell apply uniformly to the entire area within the cell. All cells are
identical in size. A raster model typically comprises millions of cells.
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 REFERENCES

• Craglia M., Mahesewarn R., (2004) GIS in Public Health

Practice CRC Press London
• Graves B.A. (2008) Integrative literature review: a
literature related to geographical information systems,
health care access and health outcomes. Perspectives
Health Information Management 29;5:11
• Gatrell A.C., Markku L., (1998). GIS and Health, London:
Taylor and Francis
• Cromley EK, Mclafferly S.(2002) GIS and Public Health.
Guildford Press. New York.
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