9/7/2022
GEOG 204
LECTURE 1
GEOG 204 Lectures:
Mon: 12.30 - 13.20
Introduction to GIS Wed: 12.30 - 13.20
Labs:
Room 8-125
Mon: 8.00 – 10.50
Tue: 15.00 – 17.50
Fall 2022 Wed: 8.00 – 10.50
Outline and notes:
https://gis.unbc.ca
1
9/7/2022
Defining GIS
• A geographic information system (GIS)
• is a system to store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present
geographic data
• GI systems fall within the area of Geomatics. Geomatics is a broad
field of study
• methods and tools used from data acquisition to data distribution.
GIS: a part of the ‘Geomatics’ field
The geomatics field
o Concerned with the gathering, storing,
processing, and delivery of geospatial
information
o Geographic Information Systems
o Cartography
o Remote sensing
o Land surveying
o Photogrammetry
o ….
2
9/7/2022
For the Geographer
• GIS technology has made it possible to efficiently integrate,
manage, and analyze geographical information from maps,
remote sensors, measuring tools, and text sources.
GIS: a definition
• “A geographic information system (GIS) can be defined as a
computer application capable of performing virtually any
conceivable operation on geographic information, from
acquisition and compilation through visualization, query,
and analysis to modeling, sharing, and archiving (Longley et
al., 1999, 2010).”
3
9/7/2022
GIS and GIScience
• “Geographic information systems (GIS) were originally
conceived as digital toolboxes for handling maps; the
principles underlying such systems, and framing their
design and use, became known as geographic information
science (GIScience).”
Goodchild, 2004
A GIS enables
Automated ….
• Acquisition (input)
• Management
• Analysis
• Display (output)
• … of ‘spatial’ data
4
9/7/2022
GIS and GIScience
• Phenomena on the Earth’s surface have both geographic
and temporal dimensions.
• In reality we are dealing with spatial-temporal phenomena
• The problems GIS deals with have different characteristics over space and
time.
• Modelling spatial-temporal phenomena has inherent challenges
that we are continuously learning about
• GIScience then is an important field of study in its own right.
GIS and GIScience
• GIScience explores
• Unique characteristics of geographic data
• Methods of address geographic problems
• Geographic information research as it relates to other disciplines
• The impact of GIS technology on society
• It aims to provide coherence in the study of geographic
information as it relates to geographic concepts and GIS tools
10
10
5
9/7/2022
11
11
Typical Architecture of a GIS
Source: Longley et al 2015
12
12
6
9/7/2022
Spatial Features
• Features are the
objects
represented in a
GIS – such as lakes,
rivers, roads,
buildings and
points of interest
13
13
GIS Applications
• Examples
• A community planner might want to assess the anthropogenic
impact on lands that should otherwise be protected. She may also
want to understand why these impacts are only in certain areas and
not others.
• A biologist might be interested in the impact of the wildfires on the
on the populations of deer species to obtain a better
understanding of long-term threats to those populations.
14
14
7
9/7/2022
GIS Applications
• Examples
• An analyst might like to identify areas at a high-risk for forest fires
in BC by investigating rainfall patterns, terrain characteristics and
fuel beds.
• An analyst may be hired by a telecommunications company to
determine the best sites for the company’s relay stations, taking
into account various cost factors such as land prices, population
distribution, undulation of the terrain et cetera.
15
15
GIS Applications
• Examples
• A forestry consultant might want to optimize timber production
using data on soil and current tree stand distributions, in the
presence of a number of operational constraints, such as the need
to preserve species diversity in the area.
• A fisheries researcher might want examine depth and water quality
indices at different sites in a freshwater lake to understand how the
distribution of an invasive species has changed from a decade
ago.
16
16
8
9/7/2022
GIS Applications
• Examples
• A city planner will need to keep records of the cadastral parcel
boundaries as well as the locations of all the city’s infrastructure.
• A developer must ensure that all construction in a new subdivision
is least 100m from the highwater mark. Does she need a GIS?
17
17
GIS Operations
• Data Acquisition
• Field Surveys, GPS sensors, aerial and satellite
imagery, online databases, digitised from paper
maps & paper records, IoT sensors…
• Acquired data may need editing
• to remove errors such as overlapping polygons, duplicate
records
• Geometric transformation
• Most expensive part of a GIS project and thus a great
barrier for many projects
18
18
9
9/7/2022
GIS Operations
• Data Attribute Management
• Attribute data describe characteristics of spatial
features
• The data are usually arranged in a table. A relational
database is the commonly used DB for
management.
• Metadata sometimes contains more descriptions on
the properties
• Do not underestimate the effort required to come up
with sensible attribute names 19
19
PID LU2000 LU2020 Area
11001 Residential Commercial 6000
Flat file of land use data 11002 Commercial Commercial 9000
11003 Park Open 5300
11004 Industrial Industrial 11000
11005 Residential Residential 8050
Relational tables of land use data
PID LUC2000
11001 1
11002 2
11003 3
PID Area Land-use LU-Code
11004 4
11001 6000 Residential 1
11005 1
11002 9000 Commercial 2
PID LUC2020 11003 5300 Park 3
11001 2 11004 11000 Industrial 4
11002 2 11005 8050 Open 5
11003 5
11004 4
11005 1 20
20
10
9/7/2022
GIS Operations
• Data Display
• Maps – very effective for spatial information
• Not all maps are equal
• Map elements: Title, legend, scale bar, data sources, author,
North arrow, neatline, border, acknowledgement
• Maps can be dynamic or static
• A well designed map should enhance communication.
• Poorly designed maps can confuse, distort, fail to
communicate
21
21
GIS Operations
• Data Exploration (exploratory spatial analysis)
• Explore general trends in data
• Explore relationships
• Use graphs/matrices to assess correlations
• Spatial distribution and clustering
• Data classification, aggregation
22
22
11
9/7/2022
GIS Operations
• Data analysis and modeling
• The use of analytical tools
• Vector: Buffering, overlay, distance measuring…
• Raster: Local, neighborhood zonal, and global operations
• A model is simplified representation of a phenomenon or a
system.
• A model is extracted from multiple data layers
• Data modelling is commonly conceptualised with entity
relationship modelling
23
23
Layers for Cartography
24
24
12
9/7/2022
GIS as a Tool
• Consider a scenario
• A GIS specialist is given a problem to solve based on specifications
described by other professionals
• assembles the necessary data to complete the task
• these data are modelled and analyzed
• descriptive products that attempt to provide solutions for the problem are
provided (such as maps, tabular information or statistics).
25
25
GIS as a Tool
• The scenario above leads one to conclude that GIS is a tool
• However, this is a narrow conceptualization of the GIS technology
• Any thoughts on why this is so?
26
26
13
9/7/2022
GIS and Geospatial Reasoning
• GIS is a mature branch of Information Technology
• Uses logical thinking to infer spatial relationships and
knowledge from given data
• Less about knowing how to do this or that
• and more about how to infer the spatial relationships in a given problem
27
27
Course Evaluation
• Technical / Lab-based course
• Lab work 35%
• Midterm Exam (Oct 5th) 15%
• Project Proposal (Nov 2nd) 5%
• Projects (Dec 5th) 25%
• Final Exam (Nov 30th) 20%
28
28
14
9/7/2022
Communication
• Office Hours
• Immediately before or after the Lecture
• Email me
• Extenuating Circumstances
• Email me ASAP
• Email your TA regarding extensions for lab work
• Much better to know before hand
29
29
15
