Geographic Information System - ArcView

University at BuffaloSummer Institute 2003

May 12, 2003

Course Overview You will learn

- how to make a thematic map- how to query a map and table- how to join a table to a map- how to analyze spatial relationships- how to present the result- how to create geographic data

Introduction to GIS

ArcView_module_1May 12, 9:00 AM

Outline What is GIS? What can GIS do? GIS applications What’s special about GIS? How it works (term definition)

Definition An information system that is

designed to work with geographically referenced data

What is GIS?

Layers

GIS organizes the information about place by layers

What is GIS?

Layers

Modeling the phenomenon…

Group of spatial objects with related entity type

Digital Representation of Spatial Entities

Phenomenon of interest in the real world

Layers

Spatial Objects

Spatial Entities

e.g. point, line, polygon

e.g. city layer, SARS layer, Tornado layer

e.g. urban growth, Tornado movementSARS spread, crime, consumer behavior

Abstraction

What is GIS?

Link bet/w map and attribute

In GIS, spatial objects are linked to attributes

Representing in computer…

What is GIS?

Multidisciplinary Science Geography Mathematics Remote Sensing Cartography Surveying Statistics Computer Science Geodesy Operations Research

What is GIS?

Functionalities

What can GIS do?

Spatial Component Estimates are that 80% of all data

has a spatial component.

Data from most sciences can be analyzed “spatially”.

What can GIS do?

ArcView GIS ArcView GIS lets you create map display

s and maps for presentation simply by pointing and clicking.

ArcView GIS lets you visualize and analyze information in new ways, revealing previously hidden relationships, patterns, and trends.

What can GIS do?

“The application of GIS is only limited by the imagination of those who use it.” Archaeology, agriculture, banking, defense and intellig

ence, electric and gas, engineering- pipeline, engineering- surveying, federal government, fire/EMS/disaster/homeland security, forestry, health and human services, insurance, education, landscape architecture, law enforcement and criminal justice, libraries and museums, location service, marine/cost/oceans, media, mining/earth science, natural resources, petroleum, real estate, retail business, state and local government, telecommunications, transportation, universities, and water/wasterwater

GIS applications

Network solutions

GIS applications

Ecosystem management

GIS applications

3D mine with well data

GIS applications

Environmental monitoring toxic plume

GIS applications

Site location and client distance

GIS applications

Modeling of future trends

GIS applications

Integration

Most problems exist in a geographic context. GIS puts various themes together.

What’s special about GIS?

Visualization

Maps are worth a thousand words

What’s special about GIS?

Map features The objects represented on maps

Each map feature has a location, a representative feature type, and a symbol that represents one or more of its characteristics.

How GIS works? Term definition for ArcView users

Feature types Points (e.g. Schools, train stations,

fire stations, and buildings in small scale)

Lines (e.g. Highways, railroads, bridges, and creeks)

Polygons (e.g. Parks, lake, and buildings in large scale)

How GIS works? Term definition for ArcView users

Attributes Information about map features Stored as Tables

ID Name Address1 Joe 123 University ave2 Betsy 452 Maple Rd3 Alan 1040 Millersport Hwy4 Marie 1500 Main St

Fields (column)

Records

(row)

Term definition for ArcView users

How GIS works?

Themes In ArcView, the layers are called themes

A set of related map features that are linked to attributes

(e.g. roads, parcels, wildlife habitat)

Term definition for ArcView users

How GIS works?

GIS Database All the themes for a geographic area ta

ken together

often called spatial database

Term definition for ArcView users

How GIS works?