2. Evaluation
• Grades are based on two exams and
completion of assignments in the lab
part of the class
• Midterm Exam is 22% of grade each
• Final exam is 44% of grade
• Labs are 34% of grade
3. Lab exercises
• Software and hardware needed to
complete lab exercises are available in
this room (SC3211)
• Files needed to complete the exercises
are available from the textbook, from me,
or from a wide range of online sources
4. What is GIS?
• A tool to be used by researchers
• System involves collected, tabulated, processed,
analyzed geographical data used to solve,
diagnose or prevent problems
• Maps are heavily utilized
– Not the only means of portraying information
– Differs from a CAD* system or a CAC‡ system
• Arguably more powerful due to ability to generate
DERIVATIVE data sets from pre-existing data
* Computer Aided Design
‡ Computer Aided Construction
5. Subsystems for GIS
• Data input and Preprocessing
– Transformation of spatial data types
• E.g., from topo lines to elevation data points
• Data storage and retrieval
• Data manipulation and analysis
– Modeling, simulations, estimates
• Lloyd expressway example
• Data reporting and display of information
– Tabular, graph-based, or map based
12. Digital data
• Has benefits over analog (non-digital) data
– Photographic example
– Rectification- alignment to coordinate system
Unrectified
Rectified
13. Digital data
• Continuous data sets are not easily represented
– Example topographic map data
• Analog maps versus Digital elevation models