GIS a short introduction

Nadine Schuurman

Chapter 1: Introducing the Identities of GIS

The Success of GIS

  • GIS technology is integrated in many aspects of our modern lives
  • GIS means different things to different people: “To a municipality, GIS is a software that allows planners to identify residential, industrial, and commercial zones…To a university researcher who must define boundaries of communities that enjoy varying health outcomes, GIS is a different animal. It is not a piece of software, but a scientific approach to the problem.”

Where Does GIS Come From? A Technical History

  • Ian McHarg, 1962, introduced the method of overlay that became the underlying methodology of GIS; none of this initial work was done using a computer.
  • Research at the Harvard Graphics Lab created an efficient method for computerized overlay, they used polygon boundaries.
  • A student at Harvard, Scott Morehouse, eventually created the algorithm for vector overlay when he was working with ESRI (Environmental Research Systems Inc.)

What does the Acronym GIS Stand For? The Two Faces of GIS

  • Standard necessary components of GIS: methods of data input, analysis, mapping, and output associated with spatial data
  • GISystems – basic software applications of GIS and the legitimacy of the data is not questioned; the software
  • GIScience – this is the theories behind GISystems. Researchers question the “fundamental precepts that underlie the technology.” This approach to GIS deals with the concepts most traditional geographers deal with: models of space and spatial data.

GIS in the World: Who Uses it For What?

  • “GIS provides a means to convert data from tables with locational information into maps.”
  • These created maps are used by government agencies, businesses, community members, schools, and hospitals when making spatial decisions.
  • Agricultural uses – farmers use GIS to perform field and soil analysis in order to maximize production
  • Summary – GIS is integrated into nearly all aspects of life, most things that incorporate GIS we are not even aware of.
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