School of Earth Science and Engineering

Hohai University

GIS Spatial Analysis |

Week 13th 21th

Introduction to GIS for

Spatial Analysis
Ying Ge
Professor

Overview

What is GIS ?
GIS Applications

Components of GIS

History of GIS

Spatial Data

GIS Operations

What is GIS ?

GIS stands for

geographic information system

The system is
a computer system for
capturing, storing, querying,
analyzing, and displaying
geographically referenced data.

What is GIS?

In GIS, the common purpose is

decision-making, for managing
use of land, resources,
transportation, retailing, or any
spatially distributed entities

the connection between the

elements of the system is
geography, e.g. location, proximity,
spatial distribution

What is GIS ?
Geographically referenced
data are

data that describe both the

locations and characteristics of
spatial features such as roads,
land parcels, and vegetation
stands on the Earths surface.

What is GIS ?
The ability of a GIS to handle
and process geographically
referenced data distinguishes
GIS from other information
systems.

Why is GIS important?

GIS technology is to
geographical analysis what the
microscope, the telescope, and
computers have been to other
sciences (It) could therefore be
the catalyst needed to dissolve
the regional-systematic and
human-physical dichotomies that
have long plagued geography

Why is GIS important?

GIS integrates spatial and
other kinds of information
within a single system it
offers a consistent framework
for analyzing geographic data

Why is GIS so hot?

high level of interest in new
development in computing GIS gives a
high tech feel to geographic
information

maps are fascinating and so are maps in

computers

there is increasing interest in

geography and geographic education

GIS is an important tool in

understanding and managing the
environment

GIS Applications
Since the beginning, GIS has
been important in natural
resource management
including land-use planning,
natural hazard assessment,
wildlife habitat analysi, and
timber management.

GIS Applications
Maps are used to convey
geographic information as well as
to perform numerous tasks
including advanced data
compilation, cartography, analysis,
query, and field data collection.

GIS Applications
Temporal views used to track
hurricanes

GIS Applications
Embedded maps within
custom applications

GIS Applications
Schematics drawing used to
display gas lines

GIS Applications
ArcGIS 3D Analysis used to
depict Everest climbing routes

GIS Applications
The U.S. Geological Survey has
the National Map program that

provides nationwide geospatial

data for applications in natural
hazards, risk assessment, homeland
security, and many other areas.

http://nationalmap.gov/viewer.html
#mashup

Components of GIS
GIS requires the following
four components to work with
geographically referenced
data:

Computer System

GIS Software

Brainware

Infrastructure

Components of GIS

Computer System
includes the computer and the
operating system to run GIS

Components of GIS

GIS software
includes the program and the
user interface for driving the
hardware

Components of GIS
Brainware

refers to the purpose and

objectives, and provides the
reason and justification for using
GIS

Components of GIS

infrastructure
refers to the necessary physical,
organizational, administrative,
and cultural environments that
support GIS operations

History of GIS
Since the late 1960s
computers have been used to
store and process
geographically referenced data.

Computer mapping at the

University of Edinburgh, the
Harvard Laboratory for Computer
Graphics, and the Experimental
Cartography Unit

History of GIS
Canada Land Inventory and the
subsequent development of the Canada
Geographic Information System

Publication of Ian Mchargs Design

with Nature and its inclusion of the
map overlap method for suitability
analysis

Introduction of an urban street

network with topology in the U.S.
Census Bureaus DIME system

History of GIS
ESRI, Inc. and Intergraph
Corp. lead the GIS industry in
terms of the software market
and software revenues.

History of GIS

ArcGIS
a scalable system with
ArcCatalog, ArcMap, and
ArcToolbox

Geographically Referenced
Data

includes spatial data and

attribute data

spatial data

tell us where something is

attribute data

tell us what something is

Spatial data
describe the locations of
spatial features

which may be discrete or

continuous

Spatial data

Discrete features are

individually distinguishable
features that do not exist
between observations

for example, wells, roads, and

land use types

Spatial data

Continuous features are

features that exist spatially
between observations

for example, elevation and

precipitation

Spatial data
geographic coordinate
system represents

the locations of spatial features

on the Earths surface with
longitude and latitude values

Spatial data
Plane coordinate system
represents

the locations of map features

with x-, y-coordinates

Spatial data

Projection is
the process that can transform
the Earths spherical surface to a
plane surface and bridge the two
spatial reference systems

Spatial data
The data model has two
types

vector data model

raster data model

Spatial data

Vector data model

uses points and their x-, ycoordinates to construct spatial
features of points, lines, and
areas.

is ideal for representing discrete

features

Spatial data

Raster data model

uses a grid and grid cells to
represents the spatial variation of
a feature

is better suited for representing

continuous features

Attribute data
describe the characteristics
of spatial features

Attribute data
GIS data sets include traditional

tabular attributes that describe the

geographic objects. Many tables
can be linked to the geographic
objects by a common thread of
fields

Joining spatial and attribute

data

If spatial data and attribute

data are stored in a split or
single system, the two data
components are linked through
the feature IDs.

GIS Operations

Six groups

spatial data input

attribute data management

data display

data exploration

data analysis

GIS modeling

Spatial Data Input

The most expensive part of a
GIS project is data acquisition

Two basic options for data

acquisition are

use existing data

create new data

Spatial Data Input

New digital spatial data can
be created from satellite
images, GPS data, field
surveys, street addresses, and
text files with x-, ycoordinates.

Spatial Data Input

1.

Data entry: use existing data,

create new data

2.

Data editing

3.

Geometric transformation

4.

Projection and reprojection

Attribute Data Management

To complete a GIS database,
we must enter and verify
attribute data through
digitizing and editing

Attribute data reside as tables

in a GIS

An attribute table is organized

by row and column

Attribute Data Management

1.

Data entry and verification

2.

Database management

3.

Attribute data manipulation

Data Display
Maps are most effective in
communicating spatial
information

Mapmaking is a routine GIS

operations

Maps are derived from data

query and analysis

Data Display
1.

Cartographic symbolization

2.

Map design

Data Exploration
involves the activities of
exploring the general trends in
the data, taking a close look at
data subsets, and focusing on
possible relationships between
data sets

Data Exploration
1.

Attribute data query

2.

Spatial data query

3.

Geographic visualization

Data Analysis
Data analysis can be classified
into seven groups:

1.Vector

data analysis buffering,

overlay, distance measurement,
spatial statistics, map
manipulation

2.Raster

data analysis local,

neighborhood, zonal, global,
raster data manipulation

Data Analysis
3. Terrain mapping and analysis
4. Viewshed and watershed
5. Spatial interpolation
6. Geocoding and dynamic
segmentation
7. Path analysis and network
applications

GIS Modeling
refers to the use of a GIS and its
functionalities in building a
model with geographically
referenced data

1.Binary
2.Index

models

models

3.Regression
4.Process

models

models