COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

FOR AGRICULTURAL AND

BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING
ENGR. JEFREY R. MANGULAD
Lecturer
01 Introduction to GIS Softwares

Basic understanding of the concepts and applications of GIS

Installation of QGIS Software

Overview of the QGIS Software

Lesson Objectives:

01 Able to 02
understand the Able to Install
History, Basic the QGIS
Concept and Software
Application of
GIS
03 Able to
Identify the
different QGIS
Toolbars and
its overview
History of Geographic Information System (GIS)

1854
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DR. JOHN SNOW

Dr. John Snow used mapping to illustrate how cases of cholera were centered
around a water pump. Many people thought the disease was propagating
through the air. However, this map helped show that cholera was being spread
through the water.
History of Geographic Information System (GIS)

Before 1960: The GIS Dark Ages

1950
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Paper Map

Computer mapping was in the dark. Nothing has been developed. All mapping
was done on paper or sieve mapping. The technology wasn’t here for GIS to
come to light.
 History of Geographic Information System (GIS)

1960 to 75: GIS Pioneering

1960
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Roger Tomlinson

Roger Tomlinson initiated, planned, and directed the development of the Canadian
Geographic System (CGIS). This was a key time in the history of GIS because many consider
CGIS as the roots of Geographic Information Systems. CGIS was unique because it adopted a
layer approach system to map handling.
 History of Geographic Information System (GIS)

GIS Pioneering – Around the World

Mid 70’s
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The US Census Bureau was an early adopter of some of the core principles of GIS. It was the
pioneering work by the US Census Bureau that led to the digital input of the 1970 Census
using the data format GBF-DIME (Geographic Base File – Dual Independent Map Encoding).
 History of Geographic Information System (GIS)

1975 to 90: GIS Software Commercialization

Mid 70’s
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As governments realized the advantages of digital mapping, this influenced the work of the
Harvard Laboratory Computer Graphics. They developed the first vector GIS called ODYSSEY
GIS. Esri’s ARC/INFO used the technical framework from ODYSSEY GIS and this work led to
the next stage of development in GIS – software commercialization.
 History of Geographic Information System (GIS)

1990 to 2010: User Proliferation

Mid 70’s
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Users are starting to adopt GIS technology in different ways. Classrooms, businesses, and
governments around the world are starting to harness digital mapping and analysis.
 History of Geographic Information System (GIS)

2010 to Onward: The Open Source Explosion

Mid 70’s
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Processors are now in gigahertz. Graphics cards are crisper than they’ve ever been before.
We now think of GIS data storage in terabytes. It’s no longer megabytes.
 Short Activity
Answer the following questions:

1. When did you first start using maps?

2. What type of map did you use and how did you use
them?
 Data vs. Information
❑Data, by itself, generally differs from information.

❑ Data is of little use unless it is transformed into information.

❑Information is an answer to a question based on raw data.

❑We transform data into information through the use of an

Information System.
INFORMATION SYSTEM OVERVIEW
 What is an Information System?

SYSTEM USED FOR:

capturing
storing
updating
manipulating
analyzing
 What is an Information System?

Information System

Data Query
Information
Storage

Information systems can be very simple,

such as a telephone directory.
What is an Information System?
In the digital environment we use software to
create complex information systems.
 What is a GIS?
Information System A means of storing,
retrieving, sorting,
and comparing
+ spatial data
Geographic Position to support some
analytic process.
 What is a GIS?
GEOGRAPHIC Information System

GIS links graphical features (entities) to tabular

data (attributes)
 GIS Definition
❑A GIS is a system (hardware + database engine) that is
designed to efficiently, assemble, store, update, analyze,
manipulate, and display geographically referenced information
(data identified by their locations).

❑A GIS also includes the people operating the system and the
data that go into the system.
GIS Components
 Key Functions of a GIS
Data can be:
❑ Positioned by its known spatial coordinates.
❑Input and organized (generally in layers).
❑Stored and retrieved.
❑Analyzed (usually via a Relational DBMS).
❑Modified and displayed
Geographic Information Systems

Define
Decision
problem

GIS Define GIS

Output
Process criteria

GIS Import or
analysis build datasets
MODELLING AND STRUCTURING DATA

(How we represent features or spatial

elements)
Representing Spatial Elements

• RASTER

• VECTOR

• Real World
 Representing Spatial Elements
Raster
Stores images as rows and columns of numbers with a Digital
Value/Number (DN) for each cell.

Units are usually represented as square grid cells that are

uniform in size.
Data is classified as “continuous”
(such as in an image), or “thematic”
(where each cell denotes a feature
type.
Numerous data formats (TIFF, GIF,
ERDAS.img etc)
 Representing Spatial Elements
Vector
Allows user to specify specific spatial locations and
assumes that geographic space is continuous, not
broken up into discrete grid squares

We store features as sets of X,Y coordinate pairs.

 Concept of
Vector and Raster
Real World

Raster Representation Vector Representation

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0 R T
1 R T point
2 H R line
3 R
4 R R
5 R
6
7
R
R
T T
T T
H polygon
8 R
9 R
 Entity Representations

We typically represent objects in space as three

distinct spatial elements:
Points - simplest
element

Lines (arcs) - set of

connected points

Polygons - set of
connected lines

We use these three spatial elements to represent real world features and
attach locational information to them.
 Attributes
❑In the raster data model, the cell value (Digital
Number) is the attribute. Examples: brightness,
landcover code, SST, etc.

❑For vector data, attribute records are linked to

point, line & polygon features. Can store multiple
attributes per feature. Vector features are linked
to attributes by a unique feature number.
 Raster vs. Vector

Raster Advantages
The most common data format

Easy to perform mathematical and overlay operations

Satellite information is easily incorporated

Better represents “continuous”- type data

Vector Advantages
Accurate positional information that is best for storing discrete
thematic features (e.g., roads, shorelines, sea-bed features.

Compact data storage requirements

Can associate unlimited numbers of attributes with specific features

GIS FUNCTIONALITY

(What do they do?)

 GIS Functions
❑Data Assembly

❑Data Storage

❑Spatial Data Analysis and Manipulation

❑Spatial Data Output

 GIS Functions
Data Assembly

Maps RSI

Intel Database Direct Entry GPS

Keyboard
Data Input/Creation
 GIS Functions
GIS Storage
1 (Universe polygon)

2 3 Spatial data
(ARC functions)

4 5
COV# ZONE ZIP
1 0
2 C-19 22060
Attribute data 3
4
A-4 22061
C-22 22060
(INFO or TABLES functions) 5 A-5 22057
 GIS Functions

Spatial Data Manipulation and Analysis

• Common Manipulation
• Reclassification
• Map Projection changes
• Common Analysis
• Buffering
• Overlay
• Network
 Spatial Analysis

• Overlay function creates new “layers”

to solve spatial problems
 GIS Functions
Spatial Data Output
• Tables

• Maps

• Interactive Displays

• 3-D Perspective View

 GIS Capabilities
o Data collection and management allow you to
easily collect, crowdsource, store, access, and
share your data efficiently and securely. You can
integrate data stored in your business systems
and geoenable any data from any source
o Mapping allows you to spot spatial patterns in
your data so that you can make better decisions.
Maps that you create break down barriers and
facilitate collaboration.
 GIS Capabilities
o Spatial analytics and data science are the
foundation of GIS. The tools and techniques
available in a GIS allow you to examine locations,
attributes, and relationships of features to help
gain a better understanding of your data.
o Real-time visualization allows you to perform
location monitoring of any type of sensor or
device. Real-time GIS data accelerates response
times and improves safety and overall operational
awareness.
 GIS Capabilities
o 3D visualization allows you to transform your
data into 3D models to allow you to see things
that may not be obvious in a 2D map.

o Imagery and remote sensing capabilities allow

you to manage, extract, and analyze collections of
imagery and remotely sensed data.

o Field operations allow you to support field

workflows and enable office and field personnel
to work in unison with the same data.
 Assignment

Give atleast one GIS scenario in

each GIS Capabilities.
Example:
Mapping of corn areas in Region 2 for
determining the appropriate technology to be
given.-Field Operation