Get Started with GIS Mapping Part 1of 3 Madhu Lakshmanan

Agenda for this section Introduction to GIS and some mapping jargon Brief exploration of Google Earth Thematic maps on GE The Census KML online application Homework!

What is GIS Mapping Wide spectrum of complexity Combination of hardware, software & data Can be one single large system or a suite of tools or one small tool depending on your requirement Data is key

Terms that we will come across Layer – A slice of the geography of a particular area. On a paper map, one layer could be the roads, another could be parks, another could be places of interest. Geocoding – Converting street addresses into spatial data that can be displayed on a map (usually a latitude and longitude pair) Shapefiles – A data format that stores a particular geographic feature of a certain area. (it is usually a set of files) and is almost the de-facto standard. It is an ESRI-created format. KML/KMZ – an XML based language schema for expressing geographic visualization. It is an official open standard for all geobrowsers. Projection – transformation of a map from a spherical object (Earth) to a flat sheet of paper.

Google Earth Transparency Control Navigation Controls 3D Viewer Search Panel Layers Panel Places Panel Toggle Sidebar

Exploring Google Earth Copy Image/ Print Scr View Menu Tools – Options Navigation Fly to Layers Adding your own placemarks to a folder and saving a KML file

Thematic Maps Map made to reflect a particular theme (social, physical, political etc.) about a geographical area. It shows distributions rather than actual locations where people live. Ideal to display census data on a map for general understanding

Example of a simple thematic map from the US Census Percent Population below poverty by county in North Carolina.

The KMZ Census Mapper

The Census KMZ Mapper

Downloaded KML visualized in Google Earth Percent Population Without Access to Private Auto in Whole State

Resources and Interesting Mapping Applications - 1 Census website American Factfinder Google Earth User Guide Rural Assistance Center Maps

Homework 1. Use CensusKML application to create 3 thematic maps with census data for your state on Google Earth. You can send me the KML files via with appropriate annotation. 2. Play with Google Earth to be familiar with its interface. 3. Get familiar with the American FactFinder website.