Chapter 1 Flashcards
what is GIS?
geospatial technology
overall term for a number of different high tech systems/tools that acquire, analyze, store and visualize location based data
geographical information systems (GIS)
computer based mapping, analysis and retrieval of location based data
remote sensing
acquisition of data and images from satellites or aircrafts
two types of images involved in remote sensing
satellite imagery and aerial photography
satellite imagery
digital images of earth from sensors onboard orbiting SPACE platforms
aerial photography
images of the ground taken from an airborne platform
what distinguishes satellite photography from aerial photography
satellite are photos taken from space
global positioning systems
acquisition of real time location information from series of satellites in earth’s orbit
who uses geospatial technology?
- federal, state and local governments
- forestry
- law enforcement
- public health
- biology
what type of work field would use geospatial technology
fields that use information or data that has a location associated with it
what distinguishes geospatial technology from other tech fields
the handling of geospatial data
geospatial data
items that are tied to a specific real world location
what is heart geospatial technological applications
geospatial data
when do we use geospatial concepts
when wanting to find WHERE something is located OR the data used has a location tied to it
is geospatial data limited to point data (like a restaurant)
no - can also be applied to length and dimensions of an area (like the length of a hiking trail)
non-spatial data
data that is not directly linked to geospatial locations
examples of non-spatial data
value of land
occupants of a piece of land
value of a home
Benefit of geospatial technology?
non-spatial data can be linked to a location
what are ways to gather geospatial data
- remote sensing
- satellite imagery
- national map
what are some decisions that influenced by geospatial information
Choosing location for a new building (like a library or school)
(Location should maximize usage but limit impact on nearby sites)
Preservation of historical sites from urban development
(Helps channel preservation efforts to sites under most pressure by urban developments)
what does VGI stand for
Volunteered geographic information
What is VGI
term used to describe user generated geospatial content and data
what is a wiki
database available for everyone to utilize and edit
how does wiki extend to geospatial data
people can contribute their own maps, images and updates to geospatial content on the internet
crowdsourcing
untrained volunteers collect data, content or observations as part of a larger project
what is a benefit of crowdsourcing
allows large number of people to contribute VGI to ongoing projects
citizen science
activities of untrained volunteers conducting science
example of wiki leading to VGI
Google maps
- Users can contribute to the content by adding places, locations, hiking trails and adding road hazards
example of citizen science
GLOBE project
(People collect pictures on their phones, identify the kind of land cover and post on GLOBE
where GLOBE uses these images for ground reference data in relation to satellite images
geolocation
technique of determining where something is in the real world
example of geolocation
- latitude and longitude
- geotag
geotag
connect real world location information to an item (like adding a photo online with the location taken assigned)
examples of apps using geolocation
find my phone
yelp
tinder
google eath
what is a virtual globe program using geolocation
google earth
