Central University of Haryana

Department of Geography
Geoinformatics

Spatial & Non spatial Data

Prepared by: Submitted to:

AKHILESH KUMAR Dr. Kheraj
M. Sc. Geoinformatics Assistant Professor
Roll no. : 232838 Deptt. Of Geography (CUH)

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 Contents
Topic Page no.

Introduction 3

Database 4

Types of Database 4

Spatial Data 4

Non-Spatial Data 8

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INTRODUCTION
A typical GIS involves both spatial and non-spatial data. Spatial data provides the location
information of the features whereas non-spatial data describes characteristics of the features.
Non-spatial data is also known as attribute data. A combination of both data is known as
geospatial data. It means that both (spatial and non-spatial) data are essential for successful
operation of a GIS.
DATA AND INFORMATION
Generally, we use the terms data and information interchangeably but these two terms
actually convey very distinct concepts. Data is defined as a body of facts or figures which have
been gathered systematically for one or more specific purposes. Data is a plural and in a broad
sense it can include things such as pictures (binary images), programmes and rules. Informally,
data are the things we want to store in a database. It can exist in the following forms:
1. linguistic expressions (e.g., name, age, address, date, ownership)
2. symbolic expressions (e.g., traffic signs)
3. mathematical expressions (e.g., E = mc2 ) and
4. signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves).

Information is defined as data which have been processed into a form that is meaningful to a
recipient and is of perceived value in current or prospective decisionmaking. It is data that
make information useful for one person and same information may not be useful to another
person. Information is only useful to its recipients when it is:
1. relevant (i.e. has intended purposes and an appropriate level of required detail)
2. reliable, accurate and verifiable (by independent means)
3. up-to-date and timely (depending on purposes)
4. complete (in terms of attribute, spatial and temporal coverage)
5. intelligible (i.e. comprehensible by its recipients)
6. consistent (with other sources of information)
7. convenient and easy to handle, and
8. adequately protected.
The primary function of an information system (e.g., GIS) is to convert data into information
using the following processes:

Conversion: It is the process of transforming data from one format to another. The
transformation, for example, may be from one unit of measurement to another likes km to
cm or from one feature classification to another.

Organisation: It involves the process of organising or re-organising data according to database

management rules and procedures and can be accessed cost-effectively.

Structuring: It represents the formatting or re-formatting of data, so that it can be acceptable

to a particular software application or information system.

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Modelling: It includes the statistical analysis and visualisation of data that improves user’s
knowledge base and intelligence in decision-making.
DATABSE

Before discussing the non-spatial data structure, we should have a better understanding
about the database. Let us discuss the concept of database in GIS. The concept of database is
the approach to information organisation in computer-based data processing.
A database is defined as an automated, formally defined and centrally controlled collection
of persistent data used and shared by different users in an enterprise. The term ‘centrally
controlled’ means that databases tend to be physically distributed in different computer
systems in the same time at different locations.
A database is set-up to serve the information needs of an organisation. The sharing of data is
the key to the concept of a database. Data in a database are described as ‘permanent’ in the
sense that they are different from ‘transient’ data such as input to and output from an
information system. The data usually remain in the database for a considerable length of time,
although the actual content of the data can change very frequently. The use of database does
not mean the demise of data files; data in a database are still organised and stored as data
files. The use of database represents a change in the perception of data, mode of data
processing and purposes of using data rather than physical storage of the data.

Types of Database
Database is primarily of two types: i) spatial, and i) non-spatial data.

Spatial Data: It includes location, shape, size and orientation information of features or
objects. For example, a particular square in which its center (the intersection of its diagonals)
specifies its location; its shape is a square; length of one of its sides specifies its size and angle
its diagonals e.g., the x-axis specifies its orientation. Spatial data includes spatial relationships,
for example, the arrangement of three stumps in a cricket ground.

Spatial Data
To qualify as spatial data, a data should have following characteristics:
i) it should have reference to locations on Earth’s surface
ii) it should have an explicit relationship between geometric and attribute aspects of
the information represented
iii) it should be organised in a particular theme, and
iv) it should have features, such as area, line or point.

Spatial data records the relationship among and about geographically distinguishable
features. Examples include the location of a rain gauge, area submerged under flood, the
route a delivery truck takes, the extent of damage from a forest fire or a tourist place. Like

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other kinds of data, spatial data can be categorised into primary and secondary spatial data.
Representation of real world features as discrete objects is done through two modes of data
representation, which embody the linkage between the real world domain of geographic data
and computer representation of these features.

Thus, the spatial data fall into two basic categories: vector and raster data as shown in Fig.
below.

• Vector data represents discrete features, such as customer locations, streets, parcels, land
usage and data summarised by area.
• Raster data represents continuous numeric values, such as elevation, and continuous
categories, such as vegetation types, and water.

a) Vector Data
In the vector data, spatial locations of features are defined on the basis of coordinate
pairs. In this data format, real world features are represented in the form of:
• lines (arc or line data)
• points (point or node data), and
• polygons (closed boundary encompassing area).
Points (or nodes) are the fundamental building block of spatial data. They refer to a
specific place, generally in a two-dimensional space. Points are used to record the
locations of objects, such as tourist place or overhead bridge. Vectors are lines
between the points, and are generally stored as an ordered series of two or more
nodes. Linear features, such as pipelines, roads and rivers are usually represented in
as vector data. Polygon is a closed figure made from several vector lines, where the

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 first and last node in the series is the same point. Polygons are used to represent
features having areal extent, such as lakes, political boundaries, soil type, etc., as
shown in Fig. .

The figure depicts how the real world is seen as vector data.
b) Raster Data
In raster data type, real world features are represented as grids. Raster data uses a
fixed grid dimension and record information about each grid. One or more features
are associated with each grid cell. One set of cell and associated value is known as a
layer, as shown in Fig. below.

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Raster data, which often comes from remote sensing also include thematic maps or
scanned maps, as shown in Fig. below.

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 Digital satellite images are one of the commonly used forms of raster data.

Non-spatial Data: It is also known attribute or characteristic data. It consists of the

characteristics of spatial features which are independent of all geometric considerations. Let
us illustrate this with the help of an example. The non-spatial data of town comprise of name
of the town, its population, settlement type, means of transportation and communication,
administration set-up, education institutions, occupations and facilities. It is important to
note that all the above mentioned data of town are not dependent on their location identities.
Hence, non-spatial data is independent from location information. The fundamental
difference between spatial and non-spatial data is given in Table below.
Table: Basic difference between spatial and non-spatial data

Spatial data Non-spatial data

It has multi-dimensional nature and It has one-dimensional nature and independent.
autocorrelated.

These above distinctions put spatial and non-spatial data into different philosophical camps with far-
reaching implications for conceptual, processing and storage issues. For example, sorting is, perhaps,
the most common and important non-spatial data processing function that is performed. It is not
obvious how to even sort locational data such that all points end up nearby their nearest neighbours.
These distinctions justify a separate consideration of spatial and non-spatial data models. In GIS,

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georelational data model stores spatial and non-spatial (attribute) data separately and also links them
on the basis of identity of features. Further, georelational data model arranges these two data-sets in
such a way that they can simultaneously be queried, analysed and displayed.

Non-Spatial Data in GIS

Non-spatial data are stored in GIS as tables. Such tables are known as non-spatial (attribute) tables. A
non-spatial table is represented by rows and columns in which each row shows a spatial feature and
each column represents a characteristic. The intersection of a row and a column gives the value of a
specific characteristic for a particular feature as shown in Table below. A row is also known as a record
or a tuple and a column is known as a field or item.

Table: Arrangement of rows and columns of a non-spatial data

Label-1A Rivers Length Dams

1 2 700 4
2 3 500 6
3 5 300 2

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