1. What is GIS?
a system of hardware, software, and procedures designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling, and display of spatially referenced data for solving complex planning & management problems” (Rhind, 1989)

2. a computer system capable of assembling, storing, amnipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information…” (USGS, 1997)
“…a set of computer-based systems for managing geographic data and using those data to solve spatial problems” (Lo & Yeung, 2002)

3. a computer system that allows the analysis and display of data with a spatial component (Phillips, 2002)
data: collection of facts/figures
information: data in useful form knowledge:
what you have intelligence: what you use

4. Information System
allows the transformation of data into information via:
Structuring
Formatting
Conversion
Modeling
GIS: transforms data with a spatial component

5. Geographic Data spatial data referenced to “geographic space”
coordinate system
Grid
Other
Projection
Source
land survey
GPS
aerial imagery
represented at a “geographic scale”

6. Geographic Information Science
approach to using GISystems
what to do & how to do it

8. GIS History 1960’s & 1970’s - mainframe computers
1980’s to mid 1990’s - mainframe & minicomputers
mid 1990’s to present - PCs & workstations

9. GIS DATA Types Representation Metadata
geodetic control network:surface location
topographic base: point elevation
graphical overlays: thematic data
Representation
vector: point, lines, polygons
raster: grid cells surface
Metadata
information about the data
key when sharing data

10. GIS Technology Hardware Organization Considerations
intranet: servers & client computer stations
PCs
Internet
Considerations
processing power
file size (very large)
data access

11. software companies proprietary open standard ESRI Intergraph MapInfo
ArcInfo & ArcView
ArcGIS
Intergraph
MapInfo

12. Users of GIS Specialist: includes programmers, designers, developers
General Users: planners, scientists, administrators (us)
Viewers: everyone (our “clients”)

13. Application of GIS
Academic
Business
Government
Industry
military

14. Map Projections Cylindrical Projections Cylindrical Equal Area
Cylindrical Equal-Area projections have straight meridians and parallels, the meridians are equally spaced, the parallels unequally spaced. There are normal, transverse, and oblique cylindrical equal-area projections. Scale is true along the central line (the equator for normal, the central meridian for transverse, and a selected line for oblique) and along two lines equidistant from the central line. Shape and scale distortions increase near points 90 degrees from the central line.
Behrmann Cylindrical Equal-Area
Behrmann's cylindrical equal-area projection uses 30:00 North as the parallel of no distortion.

16. Albers Equal Area Conic
Conic Projections
Albers Equal Area Conic
A conic projection that distorts scale and distance except along standard parallels. Areas are proportional and directions are true in limited areas. Used in the United States and other large countries with a larger east-west than north-south extent.

20. Azimuthal Projections Azimuthal Equidistant
Azimuthal equidistant projections are sometimes used to show air-route distances. Distances measured from the center are true. Distortion of other properties increases away from the center point.