GeoInformatics

Course Code: GS 250

Credit Units: 2+1

Department of Civil Engineering

Sarhad University of Science & Information Technology Peshawar
 Introduction to GIS

Engr. Qamar Zaman

MS: Remote Sensing & Geographical
Information Systems (NUST)
Qamar.civil@suit.edu.pk
What is GIS
is information about places on the Earth's
 surface knowledge about where something is

 knowledge about what is at a given location

 can be very detailed, for example:

 Information about the locations of all buildings in a city

 information about individual trees in a forest

 can be very coarse, for example:

 climate of a large region

 population density of an entire country
 in these examples it's the geographic resolution that varies
What is a GIS?

 “…a computer system capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying

geographically referenced information…”

 “A smart map. A combination of a graphic display and a database. The map and the
database are intimately linked so when you click on the map, the information about that
point is highlighted on the screen.”

 “A system of hardware, software, and procedures designed to support, capture, manage,

manipulate, analyze, model, and display spatially referenced data for solving complex
planning and management problems.”
Information System

 An information system is established to achieve the objectives of

collecting, storing, analyzing, and presenting information in a
systematic manner

 The term geographic, which implies a spatial component to the

system, are also characterized with two additional crucial properties
 The reference to geographic space, which means the data are registered to a
geographical coordinate system
 The representation at geographic scale, which means the data are normally
recorded at small scales and may be generalized and symbolized.
Components of GIS

 Software (ArcGIS, QGIS, GRASS, ENVI, ERDAS, Ecognition)

 Hardware (Computer, Plotter, GPS)

 Data (geological, Environmental etc)

 People
 Procedures
GIS Concepts

 Represent the real world by processing data and

applying it in map form

 Allows geographic features in real world locations

to be digitally represented so they can be
presented in map form and manipulated to
address some problem
GIS Concepts

 A GIS stores the locations of geographic features as

geometric entities

 The geographic features (geometric entities) are linked to

a database

 Information about various entities can be obtained by

selecting them or various analyses can be run on the
entities
GIS Concepts

 A GIS allows a user

to overlay a series
of layers, each of
which represents
some real-world
feature, to
digitally view any
given area.
GIS Concepts
Why GIS?

 Space is a limited and interrelated commodity

 Information can be easily shared between different groups
 Complex information can be presented in a variety of
formats that are easily read by an audience
 Return investment on data; data can be applied for other
purposes
 Improved decision making
Thinking About Geography

 “Almost everything that happens, happens somewhere.

Knowing where something happens is critically important”
– Paul A. Longley
 Almost all human activities and decisions involve a
geographic component
 Many are not aware of the importance geography is to our
daily lives
 Describe how to get to Mobile from Peshawar city.
 Describe how to get to the Karachi from here.
 How do I get around campus.
Internet Map Routing
Thinking About Geography
 Geography importance for decision makers
 Health care managers use geography when they
decide where to put new hospitals and clinics
 Marketing operations to find best location for a
new store
 Delivery companies need to decide routes
 Transportation officials need to select new roads
 Forestry companies need to manage forests:
where to cut, where to locate roads, where to
plant trees
 Governments need to decide on fund allocation
 Farmers need to decide where to apply
fertilizers and pesticides
Defining What People Know

 Information systems make it easy to help people manage

what they know
 A variety of terms are used to indicate some idea of what
we know
 Data
 Information
 Evidence
 Knowledge
 Wisdom
What is Photogrammetry?

 Photogrammetry is the science of making measurements from

photographs.
 Input = photograph
 Output = map
Types of Photogrammetry

 Aerial Photogrammetry
Drones, Aircrafts
 Terrestrial Photogrammetry
Handy cam, tripod fitted camera etc.
Cartography

 Cartography, the art and science of graphically representing a

geographical area, usually on a flatsurface such as a map or chart.
Advancements in Cartography

 First manual GIS developed during construction of

Irish railway (1850s). A series of maps were
compiled that showed information on population
density, geology, and political boundaries.

 Considered first manual GIS because it involved

the simultaneous use of a series of maps to solve
a spatial problem.
Advancements in Cartography

 John Snow
 Geography / Statistics /
Epidemiology
 Mapped cholera outbreaks
in London in 1854
 Used spatial analysis to
identify source of cholera
as the water pump in the
city square.
Advancement in GIS

 Cheaper & smaller computers

 GISpackages improved as computer power and storage
capabilities  and price 
 Inexpensive data (Census, Meteorological data & USGS Earth data)
 User network
 Development of books, journals, magazines, conferences,
organizations
 Merging with parallel technologies (GPS, PDA (personal digital
assistant, Internet)
Advancement of GIS

 Converging GIS with

surveying, remote
sensing, GPS, mobile
computing, etc.
 Results
 Simpler
 More users
 Cheaper
 Used by many disciplines
Applications of a GIS

 Operational
 Managing facilities and assets
 Utilities(services served for public i.e electricity,
transportations, sewage, natural gas)
 Waste management
 Property management
 Real estate
Zameen.com is the typical example of
GIS application
Applications of a GIS

 Management
 Distributing resources to gain a competitive advantage
 Retail

 Telecommunications
Percentage Internet Usage as of 2008
Applications of a GIS

 Strategic
 Creation and implementation of an organizations business plan
 Retail

 Government

 Law Enforcement
Applications of a GIS
 Political Science  Health care
 Analysis of election results  Epidemiology (leishmaniasis,
Dengue)
 Predictive Modeling
 Needs Analysis
 Real Estate  Education
 Neighborhood Land Prices
 Traffic Impact Analysis Administration
 Business  Enrollment Projections
 Demographic Analysis  Allocation of tutors for AIOU
Students
 Site Selection
 School Bus Routing
 Market penetration
Applications of a GIS
 UrbanPlanning And
Management
 Zoning, Subdivision Planning
 Economic Development
 Emergency Response
 Code Enforcement
 Tax Assessment
 Environmental
Science
 Monitoring environmental
risks
 Management of
watersheds, floodplains,
wetlands, aquifers
 Groundwater modeling and
contamination tracking
 Hazardous or toxic facility
siting
Mapping roadside
hazards and
prediction of
infrastructure failure
after natural
disaster.
The New Jersey Pinelands

Trenton
^
_
Colliers Mills
Lakehurst
Mount Holly
Pemberton
Whiting Toms River
Browns Mills
Medford

Chatsworth
Berlin

Manahawkin

Hammonton Batsto
Tuckerton

Egg Harbor City

Buena

Mays Landing
Vineland

Port Elizabeth

Woodbine

Pinelands State Boundary

Pinelands National Reserve
 Land use in
Southern New
Jersey and the
Pinelands
Remember……

 GIS leads to better decision making!

Defining What People Know

 Data
 Numbers, text, symbols which in some sense are neutral and
context-free
 Raw geographical facts: what is the temperature, pressure, type of
tree, building, etc.
 Information
 Implies some degree of selection, organization, or preparation for a
particular purpose.
 Data serving some purpose
 Data given some degree of interpretation
 Can be costly to produce but inexpensive to reproduce and
distribute
Defining What People Know
 Knowledge
 Information to which value has been added by
interpretation based on some context, experience,
or purpose.
 The information on a map, or book, or on the
internet becomes knowledge only when it has been
read and understood .
Defining What People Know

 Wisdom
 Used in the context of decisions made or advice given
 Based on all knowledge available, but given with some
understanding of likely consequences
 Highly individualized and difficult to create or share
within a group
 The top-level in the hierarchy of decision-making
infrastructure.
Question/Answers
Thank You