Lecture 1 - What is GIS?

Question 1

What is GIS?

Answer 1

Geographic information systems: a method that utilizes special software to analyze spatial data

Question 2

What is the history of GIS?

Answer 2

• 1854: John Snow tracked cholera outbreak in London
• 1962: Roger Tomlinson created first GIS system in Canada for forestry and rural development (CGIS)
• 1964: Howard Fisher, grandfather of GIS, at Harvard
• 1980s: ESRI (ArcGIS)

Question 3

What is geographic info?

Answer 3

• info about places on earth

- knowledge about what is where

Question 4

What are geographic info technologies? give examples.

Answer 4

Computer tools to analyze spatial data; geomatics

ex.
- GPS: uses satellites
- GIS: uses spatial info as layers
- RS (remote sensing): sensing something without being in direct contact, commonly on satellites and planes

Question 5

What is Tan’s favourite definition of GIS (component-based)?

Answer 5

GIS is a collection of computer hardware, software, geographic data, methods, and personnel designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze and display all form of geographically referenced info

Question 6

What are the 3 possible “S” that can follow GI?

Answer 6

• systems: tech for spatial info management (what and where)
• science: comprehending underlying conceptual issues (how of development)
• studies: understanding social, legal, and ethical issues associated with GIS application

Question 7

What makes a GIS unique/special? (Why use it?)

Answer 7

• uses spatially referenced data (known location in specific coordinate system)
• graphical and attribute data input and editing
• selective and spatial attribute query
• specialized spatial analysis tools (ex. overlay, buffer zones, terrain analysis, etc.)
• map and report generation

Question 8

Why can a GIS perform spatial operations?

Answer 8

• because it links diff data sets together using geography/space as a common key between data sets
• integrates spatial and other kinds of info within a single system
• offers consistent framework for analyzing geo data

Question 9

How is map data separated?

Answer 9

Into layers/themes/overlays of discrete info

ex. hydrologic data on separate overlay from soil data

Question 10

What are the two forms that a GIS can store data? What is the big difference between them?

Answer 10

Vector: uses points/nodes and connecting segments (lines) as basic building blocks for representing geo features (polygons)
Raster: data structured based on grid cells (pixels) to represent features

Question 11

What kind of questions can a GIS answer?

Answer 11

• location: what is at …?
• condition: where is at …?
• trends: what has changed since …?
• patterns: what spatial patterns exist?
• modelling: what if …?

Question 12

What types of queries are there? What are the difference between them?

Answer 12

Aspatial: does not require a map - ex. what is the avg pop of …?
Spatial: uses maps and lat/long to determine - ex. which cities are within 1000km of each other?

Question 13

What was the first GIS map?

Answer 13

• Lascaux, France cave drawings (~35,000 yrs ago) to track animals

Question 14

What was the first GIS analysis?

Answer 14

• Cholera map: a dot at each case and tracked it back to the water pump

Question 15

What is the history of GIS overlays?

Answer 15

• hand drawn overlays were originally used to combine the info on separate maps of the same area
• used several transparent maps physically overlaid to trace and put together

Question 16

What is an example of current GIS overlay uses?

Answer 16

• GPS collar transmitter/receiver to track migration in caribou and polar bears
• helps design wildlife protection programs

Question 17

What are contributing disciplines to GIS?

Answer 17

• cartography: science of map making
• RS: science of earth observation from space
• geodesy: science of accurate earth measurements
• surveying: science of accurate measurement of natural and manmade features on earth
• photogrammetry: science of measurement from images
• image processes: science of handling and analysis of image data

Question 18

What is the history of GIS development in Canada?

Answer 18

• Canada Land Info Systems: one of earliest GIS developed (1960s) and used to inform land management plans
• Harvard Lab for Comp Graphics/Spatial Analysis: software widely distributed and built base for GIS
• Census Bureau: used geocoded censuses and stimulated street network database development
• commercial GIS (ESRI)

Question 19

What are the major areas of practical application of GIS?

Answer 19

1. Mature technologies (ex. surveying/engineering, cartography, RS)
2. Management and decision-making (ex. natural resource management, planning, marketing, vehicle routing, etc.)
3. Science and research activities in universities and governments

Question 20

Give natural resource management examples of GIS

Answer 20

• EIA
• toxic waste siting
• environmental remediation
• forestry management
• habitat analysis

Question 21

Give land info systems (LIS) examples

Answer 21

• zoning/development control
• EIS
• water quality management
• parcel records
• facility location
• urban spatial structures (ex. historic districts and developing master plans)

Question 22

Give street networks examples of GIS

Answer 22

• emergency response systems (address matching)
• vehicle routing (ex. buses)
• evacuation plans

Question 23

Give facilities management examples of GIS

Answer 23

for gas, electric, phone line, and other utilities

• routing pipes and wires
• planning facility maintenance
• tracking energy use

Question 24

Give business geographics examples of GIS

Answer 24

• retailing
• insurance
• banking
• real estate
• sales/marketing

Question 25

Give aviation examples of GIS

Answer 25

• pavement
• flight path
• land use
• utilities
• etc.

Question 26

How can GIS be used for environmental justice?

Answer 26

The right to safe, sustainable environment regardless of identity - GIS can be used to identify that there are usually more risks in poor, racialized communities

Question 27

What are the limitations of using a GIS?

Answer 27

• knowledge-based
• technology
• cost
• organizational factors
• lots of people don’t know how to use it properly

Question 28

Why is GIS important?

Answer 28

• almost every decision made is influenced by geography

- heavily used by mun, prov, and fed gov’t as well as in the private sector and for research