Introduction GIS
Introduction GIS
Introduction GIS
Introduction to GIS
What is a Geographic Information System
Definitions
• A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware,
software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and
displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.
Software
• ArcGIS (ESRI, commercial)
• MapInfo (Pitner Bowes Software, commercial)
• Quantum GIS (open source)
What is a Geographic Information System
QGIS vs ArcGIS
• QGIS and ArcGIS desktop have similar features
• ArcGIS is commercial, well documented and supported
• QGIS is open source and free, extended with plugins, very active community
• ArcGIS is usually favoured by large companies such as utilities who can afford
licencing and training costs
• QGIS is favoured by GIS enthusiasts, students, small companies
What is a Geographic Information System
Data
• Topographic maps
• Toponyms
• Nautical charts
• Bathymetric charts
• Geomorphological classification
• Aerial and satellite imagery
• Field data
Topographic maps
• Generally produced by the Lands and Surveys from topographic surveys and aerial
photography
• Show relief, vegetation, water, buildings and relief features
• Legacy maps are often in paper form, use diverse projections/datum and are not
always readily usable in GIS software.
Toponyms
• Toponyms are geographic names, gathered from old paper maps and charts or
provided by Lands & Surveys
• GeoNames (http://www.geonames.org) is a global geographic database that provides
a geographic index of more than 11 million geographic names (gazetteer)
• An approximate location is associated to place names
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Toponyms
Feature class
Feature codes
Maritime boundaries
Maritime boundaries encompass the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), territorial seas (12
nm), contiguous zones (24 nm), internal waters and archipelagic waters.
Capricorn Seamount
Nautical charts
• Nautical charts are produced by the hydrographic offices for navigation purpose
• It details coastline, soundings, underwater features, navigation aids and hazards
• Legacy charts are often in paper form, use diverse projections/datum and are not
always readily usable in GIS software
Bathymetric charts
Bathymetric charts are produced by the hydrographic offices after conducting
bathymetric surveys of the seafloor but actual data is scarce.
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LiDAR data
LiDAR is a surveying method that measures distance to the plane using laser pulses.
Bathymetric LiDAR can measure depth up to 50 m by using green lasers. That data is
scarce in Pacific countries, and bathymetric LiDAR even rarer.
LiDAR derived information can be used as part of habitat mapping (shallow reefs,
mangroves)
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Satellite imagery
Low resolution satellite imagery is generally available for free, while high-resolution
imagery must be purchased and licensing usually restrict its distribution
Ocean monitoring
• Sea Surface Temperature, Chlorophyll-a (SeaWIFS), MODIS : NOAA/NASA
(https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov)
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Aerial photography
Aerial photography has a higher resolution than satellite imagery but requires flying a
survey plane above the area. Survey drones (fixed-wings) can also be used for small
areas (a few ha)
Legacy aerial surveys were using rolls of films, that needed to be scanned and the
imagery rectified. Nowadays aerial surveys use multispectral sensors similar to satellites.
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What is a Geographic Information System
Definitions
• A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for
capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically
referenced information.
• GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many
ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes,
reports, and charts (source: www.gis.com)
Visualizing spatial data
Manipulating spatial data
Visualizing layers in a GIS
Layer types
Raster Layer
A raster layer is an image (scanned picture, satellite image).
Often used to import field data with GPS position into the GIS.
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