1. Principles of Geographic
Information System
Emmanuel P. Sambale
Environment Planning & Management

2. Toolbox-based
a powerful set of tools for collecting, storing,
retrieving at will, transforming and displaying
spatial data from real the world (Burrough
1986)
a system for capturing, storing, checking,
manipulating, analysing and displaying data
which are spatially referenced to the Earth
(Department of Environment 1988)
an information technology which stores,
analyses, and displays both spatial and non-
spatial data (Parker 1988)

3. Database
a database system in which most of the data
are spatially indexed, and upon which a set
of procedures operated in order to answer
queries about spatial entities in the database
(Smith et al. 1987)
any manual or computer based set of
procedures used to store and manipulate
geographically referenced data (Aronoff
1989)

4. Organization-based
an automated set of functions that provides
professionals with advanced capabilities for the
storage, retrieval, manipulation and display of
geographically located data (Ozemay, Smith, and
Sicherman 1981)
an institutional entity, reflecting an
organizational structure that integrates
technology with a database, expertise and
continuing support over time (Carter 1989)
a decision support system involving the the
integration of spatially referenced data in a
problem solving environment (Cowen 1988)

5. Definition
“GIS is an organized collection of
computer, hardware, software,
geographic data, and personnel
designed to efficiently capture, store,
update, manipulate, analyze, and
display all forms of geographically
referenced information.”

6. What questions can GIS answer?
what is the name of this
factory?
identification
what if a new built-up area is created
here?
models: will affect traffic intensity
what has changed?
trends: growth of urban
area
where is the city hall?
location: xy = 1764,
3180
what relation exist between road and river
network?
pattern: river interrupts road network
what is the the shortest route between A
& B?
optional path: start at A, go left at …

7. H a r d w a r e
S o f t w a r e
D a t a
M e t h o d
P e o p l e

8. Basic Data Models
Vector Data
Model
Raster Data
Model

12. Current applications
Agriculture – monitoring &
management from farm to national
level
Archeology – site description &
scenario evaluation
Environment – monitoring, modelling &
management of land degradation; land
evaluation & rural planning; landslides;
desertification; water quality &
quantity; plagues; air quality; weather
& climate modelling & prediction

13. Current applications
Forestry – management, planning, &
optimizing extraction & planting
Emergency services – optimizing fire,
police & ambulance routing; improve
understanding of crime & its location
Navigation – air, sea & land
Marketing – site location & target
groups; optimizing goods delivery

14. Current applications
Real estate – legal aspects of the
cadastre, property values in relation to
location, insurance
Regional & local planning –
development of plans, costing,
maintenance, management
Road & rail – planning & management
Site evaluation & costing – cut & fill,
computing volumes of material

15. Current applications
Social studies – analysis of
demographic movements and
developments
Tourism – location & management of
facilities and attractions
Utilities – location, management &
planning of water, drains, gas,
electricity, telephone, cable services.

16. GIS provides you the
tools to …
present
analyze
explore
information about our world.

17. References
Bernhardsen, Tor. 1999. Geographic Information System,
2nd Edition
Burrough, PA. & McDonnel R. A. 1998. Principles of
Geographic Information System. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Davis, Bruce. 2001. GIS: A Visual Approach, 2nd Edition
ESRI 2001. GIS for Higher Education – Across the Campus
and Around the World
IDL Demo 5.5
Kraak, MJ, Ormeling, FJ. 1996. Cartography: Visualization
of Spatial Data
Rajan, Mohan Sundara. 1991. Remote Sensing and
Geographic Information System for Natural Resource
Management, ADB
Various GIS sites

18. License of this Document
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
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License details: Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5
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above.
Emmanuel P. Sambale. November, 2006
http://esambale.wikispaces.com