MUST students: Lecture 1 Intro to GI Science

1. NDATA SCHOOL OF CLIMATE AND EARTH SCIENCES
EARTH SCIENCES DEPARTMENT
Geo-Information Science
Section
Principles of Geographical Information Science-PRGI 210
Prepared By
Emmanuel Chinkaka
echinkaka@must.ac.mw
+265997559996

2. Principles of Geographical
Information Science
PRGI 210

3. Module Description
⚫ This module is designed to impart
knowledge on fundamental concepts,
theories, and techniques of geographical
information systems (GIS) and its
applications.

4. Module Objectives
1) Explain the basic principles of GIS, spatial data,
geospatial data analysis; spatial data
representation and infrastructure
2) Demonstrate how to collect, process and
manage spatial data
3) Handle GIS software

5. Grading Structure
Grading Structure
Test 10%
Mid-Semester Exam 15%
Class Project 15%
Final Exam 60%

6. Module ScheduleWeek Dates (2019-2020) Topic
1 7 – 11 Oct 19 Introduction to GI Science
2 14 – 18 Oct 19 GI Science basic concepts: Terminologies and Components
3 21 – 25 Oct 19 GIS Data collection methods and processing
4 28 Oct – 1 Nov 19 GIS data models: Vector and Raster models and analysis
5 4 – 8 Nov 19 Test 1
6 11 – 15 Nov 19 Spatial referencing and satellite-based positioning
7 18 – 22 Nov 19 Spatial data analysis and modelling
8 25 – 29 Nov 19 Mid-Semester Exam
9 2 – 6 Dec 19 Spatial data analysis and modelling
10 9 – 13 Dec 19 Analytical functions (buffer, overlay, selection)
11 16 – 20 Dec 19 Mid-semester Break
23 Dec 19 – 3 Jan 20 Christmas Break
12 6 – 10 Jan 20 GIS data visualization and dissemination
13 13 – 17 Jan 20 Introduction to Class Project
14 20 – 24 Jan 20 Class Project and Supervision
15 27 – 31 Jan 20 Presentation of Class Project
16 3 – 7 Feb 20 Study Week
17 10 – 14 Feb 20 End of Semester Exam
18 17 – 21 Feb 20 End of Semester Exam

7. Topic 1
Introduction to GI Science

8. Introduction to GI Science
⚫ GI Science is conceptually related to
geography, information science, computer
science, geomatics and geoinformatics
⚫ Geographic Information Systems = which are
software tools.
⚫ Capture, store, process, analyze spatial data

9. Introduction to GI Science
⚫ GI Science is the scientific discipline that
studies data structures and computational
techniques to capture, represent, process, and
analyze geographic data.
⚫ Geographic data = data with geographic
coordinates/location
⚫ Information Vs Data?

10. Spatial data
⚫ Geographic data, Geospatial data, Geocoded
data, GIS data = same thing
DATA WITH GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES
OR
DATA WITH SPATIAL REFERENCE
X,Y - COORDINATES

11. What is Geography?
⚫ The study of places and the relationships
between people and their environments.
⚫ Geographers explore both the physical
properties of Earth’s surface and the human
societies spread across.

12. What is Geography?
⚫ They also examine how human culture
interacts with the natural environment and
the way that locations and places can have
an impact on people
⚫ Geography seeks to understand where things
are found, why they are there, and how they
develop and change over time

13. Introduction to Geographic
Information System(GIS)

14. Geographic Information
System
⚫ A computer-based system for the collection,
storage, organization, maintenance, and
analysis of spatially-referenced data, and the
output of spatially-referenced information.

15. Data Vs Information
⚫ Data – Any collection of related facts; the
basic elements of information - Observations
⚫ Information - Data that have been processed
to be useful; provides answers to "who",
"what", "where", and "when" questions
⚫ Information can only come from accurate
data

16. Data Vs Information
⚫ Data – Any collection of related facts; the
basic elements of information - Observations
⚫ Information - Data that have been processed
to be useful; provides answers to "who",
"what", "where", and "when" questions
⚫ Information can only come from accurate
data

17. GIS Components
⚫ People
⚫ Software
⚫ Hardware
⚫ Data
⚫ Methods
⚫ The Science of all these = GI Science

18. GIS Components

19. GIS Software
⚫ ArcGIS
⚫ QGIS
⚫ ENVI
⚫ ERDASS IMAGINE
⚫ GRASS
⚫ ILWIS
⚫ OPEN JUMP
⚫ gvSIG
⚫ MAP WINDOW
⚫ DIVA GIS

20. GIS Software

21. GIS APPLICATIONS

22. GIS APPLICATIONS
⚫ Agriculture
⚫ Hydrology
⚫ Geology
⚫ Military
⚫ Natural Hazards
Management
⚫ Natural Resources
Management
⚫ Physical Planning
(urban planning)
⚫ Environmental
Sciences
⚫ Political Science
⚫ Civil
Engineering/Utility
⚫ Health

25. GIS as an information System

26. GIS as an information System

27. Who uses GIS
⚫ Every organization that stores, processes and
analyses data with a spatial component e.g.
-government: councils, hospitals, police,
military
-companies: marketing, distribution-academic:
⚫ GIS-related employment/research found across
wide range of human/physical/environmental
applications

28. Key Functions of a GIS