GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
SYSTEM (GES203)
GIS Components
Level 2:1
By: Mrs Mupfiga
Presentation Layout
Recap
Learning Objectives
Components of GIS
GIS Data
References
Lecture Evaluation
Learning Objectives
To identify the 5 basic components of a GIS
To describe the basic components of a GIS
To describe geographic data
To identify the sources of geographic data
To describe the GIS Cycle
Recap
What is so special about GIS?
Where can GIS be applied?
GIS Components
People
People are the most important part of a GIS because they
define and develop the procedures used by a GIS
GIS technology is of limited value without the people who
manage the system and develop plans for applying it to
real-world problems.
Ground truth data collection
Data storing, processing and analysis
GIS users range from technical specialists, who design and
maintain the system to those who use it to help them
perform their everyday work.
Approaches / Methods/ Organizational
protocols.
A successful GIS operates according to a well-designed
plan and business rules, which are the models and
operating practices unique to each organization
Hardware
Hardware is the physical components on which a GIS
operates
CPU
Monitor
Digitizing table
Scanners
Printers
What are the hardware specifications for GIS?
Hardware
GIS can be run on a wide range of hardware types, from
centralized computer servers to desktop computers used in
stand-alone or networked configurations.
A fast computer, large data storage capacities, and a high-
quality display.
A fast computer is required because spatial analyses are often
applied over large areas and/or at high spatial resolutions and
calculations often have to be repeated over tens of millions of
times,
In GIS large volumes of data must be entered to define the
shape and location of geographic features, such as roads,
rivers.
Hardware
For presentations, a printer and a projector are needed
Digitizing tables and scanners are needed to convert
analogue map data and tables to digital databases
It is important to adapt the investments in hardware to
the needs of the organisation.
All system components need to be connected in a Local
Area Network (LAN) if maximum efficiency should be
reached in a complex organisation.
Software
GIS software provides the tools to capture, manage, analyze,
and effectively display spatial data and spatial information.
There are many public domain and commercially available
GIS software packages,
Many of these packages originated at academic or
government-funded research laboratories.
List the GIS software that you know.
The GIS software often represents a considerable share
of the investment costs when introducing GIS in an
organisation.
Software
It is important to consider the needs, the user
category and the functionality, since it is rather useless to
provide a person with very limited knowledge in GIS an
advanced software and vice versa.
Thus to optimize the investment software must be
adapted to the activities of users in the organization
Another important issue to consider when selecting
software is the possibilities to get technical support
from national suppliers rather that being dependent on
support from organizations overseas.
Software
Examples of the major or widely used software packages
are
ArcGIS,
ERDAS (Earth Resources Data Analysis System, used for
Remote sensing image processing e.g is ERDAS
IMAGINE 9.1),
ILWIS(mostly used for hydrological modelling),
QGIS
Grass (Geographic Resource Analysis Support System) ,
Mapmaker
Data
Is the fuel of the GIS.
Data can be collected in-
house or purchased from
a commercial data
provider.
This means that the
information must be
from a reliable source.
It must be accurate
record of reality. The
suppliers of data must
have a reliable rate of
supply.
Data
Data must carry with it quality statements about how
the data was collected, by whom and when etc. this
information guaranties / verifies the quality of the data.
Data must be relevant for the purpose for which it must
be used. It must be the correct type of data.
Data must be accessible. This is a big issue in most
developing countries.
Data
•No matter how sophisticated a GIS
may be, it cannot change the fact that
the system is never better than its
weakest link.
•If a GIS is fed by garbage data, the
output from analysis and other
operations will also be garbage
Video
Components of GIS
GEOGRAPHIC DATA
What is geographic data?
Data that can be allocated a location,
It is necessary to define what geographical data is,
since GIS operates by using this type of data.
Geographic data includes all things on the earth’s
surface.
Geographic data = Geometric data + Non Spatial
data (attributes/properties)
Geometric data: gives the location data and spatial
extent (shape) of map objects.
Attribute data: represents some property that describes
the map objects.
Almost all objects in our surroundings can be
connected to a specific location and are possible to
handle in a GIS.
Geographic Data
describe
Geometric data
Location is given by using a coordinate system.
Non spatial data: Attribute data
Attribute data is the non-spatial data about a geometric
object
Attributes describe the characteristics of the map
objects and are linked to these objects in the GIS
Examples??
Object Attribute
Road Road No. ; Surface type, Width,
House Owner, Address, No of rooms
Administration district Name of District, Population
Geographic Data
Demonstration
Hardware
Software
Geometric Data
Attribute Data
Homework: Attribute Data Types
Describe giving specific examples, the following
attribute data types:
Nominal
Ordinal
Interval
Ratio [15]
Metadata
Information about data
Acts as quality statement. It assures a certain level of
quality, reliability and flexibility for the users of the
database
Description of the source of data and the database
development process
– information about where the data was retrieved from
and how it has been processed before entering the
database.
Attribute accuracy – Is the attribute an actual
measurement, estimation or interpolation of attribute
values.
Metadata
Date(s) of data collection and interval of updating the
data.
- It is important as it informs the user about future
extensions of the database. Some databases, e.g. census data,
may be valid for a certain time span, which should be
indicated in the metadata.
Name and owner of database,
The projection, co-ordinate system, map datum
Completeness – is the information true for the whole area
covered by the database or are there differences in quality,
temporal accuracy, consistency ,etc.
Functions of a GIS
Capture GIS data,
Storage of data,
Analysis of data,
Visualization of GIS data, presentation of GIS
analysis products,
Next Lecture
Vector Data Model
Raster Data Model
References
DeMers, M N, 1997, 2003, 2005, Fundamentals of
Geographic Information Systems (1st, 2nd or 3rd edition). John
Wiley, New York.
Heywood I, Cornelius S, Carver S, 1998, 2002, 2006, An
Introduction to Geographical Information Systems (1st, 2ndor
3rd edition). Addison Wesley, Harlow.
Longley P A, Goodchild M F, Maguire DJ, Rhind DW, 2005,
Geographical Information Systems and Science. (1st or 2nd
edition). Wiley, Chichester
http://www.rst2.edu/ties/gentools/comp_gis.html
http://map.sdsu.edu/geoagent/gis_intro.htm
