Understanding
Our Place in the
World and Beyond
GIS =
Geographic
Information
S ystems
Analisa Noel Gunnell –
Cartographer/GIS Analyst

What we’ll be looking at:
• Who am I?
• What is GIS?
• What makes a GIS?
• What kinds of things can GIS do?
• Examples of work that Ecotrust has done using GIS
• Mapping exercise

•Who am I?
Photographer
Musician

•Who am I?
Geographer (I went to OSU!!!)
– Geography is a
science that
enables us to find
answers to
questions about
the world around
us—about where
things are and
how and why they
got there

•Who am I?
Cartographer (Map Maker)
Cartography is the
the art or technique
of making maps or
charts.

•Who am I?
GIS Analyst
-A GIS Analyst is
someone who
uses GIS as a TOOL
to ask and answer
questions about space
and place

•Why do I LOV E GIS ?
• I create maps of the places I love
• I work to help conserve some of
the most important places and
creatures on the planet
• I help to answer important
questions to problems facing our
world
• I get to come and share with
wonderful people like YOU!

What is GIS ?
• GIS stands for:
•Geographic – another way of saying
Geography (the study of Place or
Location)
•Information – A collection of facts
or data
•Systems - How we tie the two
together

What is GIS ?
GIS is computer software that links
geographic information (where things are)
with descriptive information (what things are
like).
Geography Information
GIS

What is GIS ?
DATA
PLACE + DATA = Geographic Information System

example: Have you ever gotten directions
on the internet before?
This is GIS in
Action!!!

GIS is Really just a Smart Map!
I dare you to ask me
what's the capital of
Oregon!!!

Why is GIS a Really S mart Map?
Because GIS Integrates All the Parts…to See the
Whole!
Homes
Streets
Streets
Zip Codes
Cities
Counties

What M akes a Geographic
Information S ystem?
• Hardware
• Software
• Data
• Methods
• People
(just like us!)

Why is Geography Important to Y ou?

What Can GIS Do for Y ou?
• You can ask Geographic
Questions and Think through the
results (Analysis)
• You can make Maps to visualize
“Where are the areas near my school that are so steep
your results
I could fall down?”
– 2 dimensional(2d)
– 3 dimensional(3d)
• You can create Models that can
either simulate or make
predictions about the natural
world
• All this helps us to make Better
Decisions and Create Better
Solutions

E xamples of some work E cotrust has done
with GIS ?
1. Pacific Coast Watershed Partnership
2. Siuslaw Watershed Restoration Initiative
3. Copper River Watershed Project

Pacific Coast Watershed Partnership
Ecotrust partnered with the
Pacific Coast Watershed
partnership by mapping
important watershed restoration
sites along the west coast of
Washington and Oregon.

Pacific Coast Watershed Partnership
http://www.pacificwatersheds.net

S iuslaw Watershed Restoration Initiative
We are collecting data and creating maps to help conserve
the Siuslaw watershed

S iuslaw Watershed Restoration Initiative

Copper River K nowledge S ystems
We are also mapping
Anadromous fish
Habitat in the
Copper River
Watershed in
Alaska

Copper River K nowledge S ystems
http://www.ecotrust.org/copperriver/crks_cd/welcome.htm

What is a Watershed?
A watershed is an area
of land where all of the
water that drains off of
it or is under it goes
into the same place.

What are A nadromous Fish?
Are fish that are born in freshwater, migrate to the ocean to
mature, then return to freshwater to spawn.
Ah, just born,
I’m homesick,
now I get to
I think it’s time
swim to the
to swim back to
ocean!
where we born…
We love the
open Sea!!!

FUN A CTIV ITY TIM E !!!

M aking our own map
=5
=8

The end result…

Remember to count your Fish!!!

Cool GIS L inks
• What is GIS?
– http://www.gis.com/
– http://www.gislounge.com/
– http://www.opengeospatial.org/
– http://www.geocomm.com/
• Cool Applications
– http://earth.google.com/
– http://maps.google.com/
– http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/
– http://www.topozone.com/