Lecture 1 Intro to GIS

Question 1

What are spatial data?

Answer 1

Spatial data is any data with a direct or indirect reference to a specific location or geographical area. Spatial data includes location, shape, size, and orientation.

Question 2

What is Aspatial data (Attribute data)?

Answer 2

Data that relate to a specific, precisely defined location. The data are often statistical but may be text, images, or multi-media.

Question 3

Absolute location is?

Answer 3

An absolute location is a constant/ fixed location.

Question 4

Relative location is?

Answer 4

Relative location is relative to some geographic features such as, roads

Question 5

Give 3 examples of Geographical Information Analysis:

Answer 5

1) 911 Dispatcher using GIS and remote sensing technology
2) Finding directions from point A to B using Google maps
3) Using a navigational system in a car that has GPS-enabled.

Question 6

What are the 5 question involved in spatial analysis?

Answer 6

Location: Where?
Patterns: Spatial patterns?
Trends: Temporal/spatial changes?
Conditions: Where do certain conditions apply?Implications: What if some other scenarios?

Question 7

What are the 3 types of geographical problems?

Answer 7

1) Maintaining and improving trails in national parks
2) Navigating tourist destinations
3) global weather phenomena

Question 8

Define GIS

Answer 8

GIS is an information system used to manipulate, summarize, query, edit and visualize spatial and non-spatial information stored in a computer database.

Question 9

Are traditional paper maps as useful as GIS?

Answer 9

They are. In fact, they are both equally useful

Question 10

Five ways in which GIS is better than a regular map

Answer 10

Easy to store data in a digital format
Easy to access/share if stored in a Database
Easy to compare/correlate between geographic entities
Easy to extract quantitative information from the data
Easy to engage multiple spatial data.

Question 11

A GIS is not different than any other information system, but it specifically works with _______________ data.

Answer 11

geographic/spatial

Question 12

How does modified graphic art or Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) program differ from GIS?

Answer 12

They lack a Database management system and Spatial analysis functionality

Question 13

How does a Simple cartographic mapping program differ from GIS?

Answer 13

Spatial analysis functionality (e.g. overlay, buffer) and much more

Question 14

How does a simple software package without a theoretical foundation differ from GIS?

Answer 14

GIScience: Study the nature of geographic data and how they are collected, analyzed and viewed.

Question 15

What is the long-form of GIS?

Answer 15

Geographic Information System

Question 16

What are the 3 components of GIS?

Answer 16

1) A computer system: Hardware, software, and appropriate procedures
2) Spatially referenced or geographic data
3) Humanware(liveware): Implementing management and analytic tasks on the data using a computer system.

Question 17

Do scale and time matter in GIS?

Answer 17

YESSS!

Question 18

What are the 3 major categories of spatial data in GIS?

Answer 18

1) Discrete geographic features
2) Continuous geographic features
3) Features summarized by geographic area

Question 19

What are the three basic geographic entities?

Answer 19

Point
Line
Area (Polygon)

Question 20

Two data models which are fundamental for GIS?

Answer 20

Vector data

Raster (Pixel) data

Question 21

Three basic types of GIS analysis?

Answer 21

1) A type of GIS analysis is the storage and retrieval of data
2) Another type of GIS analysis is a query, which helps identify spatial patterns in our data
3) Another type of GIS analysis would be modelling a prediction of what data make look like at a different time and space