Geographic information system
**1. Historical Development of GIS:**
– Digital GIS concept introduced by Roger Tomlinson in the mid-1960s
– Spatial analysis utilized in epidemiology as early as 1832
– John Snow’s cholera outbreak map in London in 1854
– Ian McHarg’s map overlay method and U.S. Census Bureau’s DIME system
– Photozincography in the early 20th century
– Canada Geographic Information System (CGIS) developed in 1963
– Influence of CGIS on future GIS software
– Roger Tomlinson known as the father of GIS
**2. Core Concepts of GIS:**
– GIS integrates hardware and software for managing geographic data
– GIScience is a subdiscipline of technical geography
– GIS utilized in engineering, planning, logistics, and business
– GIS includes human users, procedures, workflows, and knowledge
– Spatial database not essential for GIS definition
**3. GIS Applications and Capabilities:**
– GIS used in engineering, planning, transportation, and business
– GIS essential for location intelligence applications and location-enabled services
– GIS capabilities include recording Earth-based locations, enhancing scientific inquiry, and data analysis
– GIS relates unrelated information through location as a key variable
– GIS opens new avenues for research and analysis
**4. GIS Software and Geospatial Data Management:**
– ESRI, CARIS, ERDAS, Autodesk, MapInfo Professional, QGIS, GRASS GIS are commercial vendors of GIS software
– ArcGIS by ESRI dominates the GIS market
– GIS databases store geographic phenomena and their attributes
– Data can be stored in separate files or spatially-enabled relational databases
– Managing data is a significant resource investment in GIS projects
**5. Data Modeling and Data Acquisition in GIS:**
– GIS data represents real-world phenomena like roads, land use, and elevation
– Data can be categorized into discrete objects and continuous fields
– GIS data acquisition methods include mapping hardware like GPS and laser rangefinders
– Field-map technology used for forest inventories, monitoring, and mapping
– Accurate mapping and data analysis are done in the field