WELCOME

to
Introduction to Geographic
Information Systems
By
Dr. Khalid Eldrandaly
Associate Prof. of GIS

Course Objective

This course provides an in depth introduction to the fundamental

concepts of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

The course will cover the following topics:

GIS overview
GIS Functionality
GIS Components
Geographic Data
Data Models
Vector Data Model
Raster Data Model
Coordinate Systems and Map Projection
GIS Data Acquisition
GIS Data Editing
Data Display and Cartography

Class Mechanics

Prerequisite: None
Lecture: 2 hours per week
Two Lectures/Week (S M)
Lab:

/
ESRI VC Free Course

Getting Started with GIS

Course Point Allocation

First Exam .. ..15

Second Exam 15
Lab .. 20
Attendance and Discussion....10
Final Exam40
Total.100

Lecture Resources
Textbooks:
Introduction to Geographic Information Systems,
5th edition, by Kang- Tsung Chang. (McGraw-Hill
2010).
. - -
- -
.
Lecture notes
www.kau.edu.sa/keldrandaly

Lab Resources

GIS Tutorial, 3rd ed., ESRI Press

ESRI Training and Education

http://training.esri.com/gateway/index.cfm

Lecture 1
Overview of GIS

As of February 2006, Geotechnologies is listed by the U.S.

Department of Labor as one of the three most important
emerging and evolving fields," along with Biotechnology
and Nanotechnology
Geotechnologies have turned computer mapping into a
powerful decision- making tool!

Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

Remote Sensing (RS)

use of satellites or aircraft to capture

information about the earths surface

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

a system of earth-orbiting satellites which can

provide precise (100 meter to sub-cm.) location
on the earths surface (in lat/long coordinates or
equiv.)

at a minimum, comprises a capability for input,

storage, manipulation and output of geographic
information

GPS and RS are sources of input data for a

GIS.

What is a GIS?

Where did GIS come from?

10

GIS is built upon knowledge from

geography, cartography, computer
science, Information Systems, and
mathematics
Geographic Information Science is a new
interdisciplinary field built out of the use
and theory of GIS

Knowledge Base for GIS

Computer
Science/IS
graphics
visualization
database
system administration
security

Application Area:
GIS

Geography
and related:
cartography
geodesy
photogrammetry
landforms
spatial statistics.

public admin.
planning
geology
mineral exploration
forestry
site selection
marketing
civil engineering
criminal justice
surveying

The convergence of technological

fields and traditional disciplines.

Defining GIS

11

Different definitions of a GIS have evolved

in different areas and disciplines
All GIS definitions recognize that spatial
data are unique because they are linked to
maps (Space matters!)
A GIS at least consists of a database, map
information, and a computer-based link
between them

GIS Definition

A geographic information system is a

computer-based information system that

enables capture, modeling, storage,
retrieval, sharing, manipulation, analysis,
and presentation of geographically
referenced data (Worboys and Duckham,
2004, p.2).

Why does GIS Matter?

Almost everything happens somewhere

Knowing where some things happen is
critically important

12

Position of country boundaries

Location of hospitals
Routing delivery vehicles
Management of forest stands
Allocation of funds for sea defenses

GIS is a special class of information

systems that keeps track not only of
events, activities, and things, but also of
where these events, activities, and things
happen or exist

Why Study GIS?

80% of local government activities estimated to be geographically

based

a significant portion of state government has a geographical

component

natural resource management

highways and transportation

businesses use GIS for a very wide array of applications

retail site selection & customer analysis

logistics: vehicle tracking & routing
natural resource exploration (petroleum, etc.)
precision agriculture

civil engineering and construction

plats, zoning, public works (streets, water supply, sewers), garbage

garbage
collection, land ownership and valuation

scientific research employs GIS

geography, geology, botany

anthropology, sociology, economics, political science
Epidemiology, criminology

Five Ms of Applied GIS

Mapping
Measuring
Monitoring
Modeling
Managing

13

Examples of Applied GIS

Urban Planning, Management &

Policy

Environmental Sciences

Zoning, subdivision planning

Land acquisition
Economic development
Code enforcement
Housing renovation programs
Emergency response
Crime analysis
Tax assessment
Monitoring environmental risk
Modeling stormwater runoff
Management of watersheds,
floodplains, wetlands, forests,
aquifers
Environmental Impact Analysis
Hazardous or toxic facility siting
Groundwater modeling and
contamination tracking

Political Science

Redistricting
Analysis of election results
Predictive modeling

Civil Engineering/Utility

Business

Attendance Area Maintenance

Enrollment Projections
School Bus Routing

Real Estate

Demographic Analysis
Market Penetration/ Share Analysis
Site Selection

Education Administration

Locating underground facilities

Designing alignment for freeways, transit
Coordination of infrastructure
maintenance

Neighborhood land prices

Traffic Impact Analysis
Determination of Highest and Best Use

Health Care

Epidemiology
Needs Analysis
Service Inventory

Brief History of GIS

1960 70s Innovation

14

First GIS Canada Land Inventory

DIME US Bureau of Census
Harvard Laboratory for Computer Graphics
Major vendors started (e.g. ESRI,
Intergraph)
Landsat satellite launched
Key academic conferences (e.g. AutoCarto)

Brief History of GIS

1980s Commercialization

2000s Exploitation

15

Commercial GIS software (e.g. ArcInfo)

First GIS textbooks
First global data sets
Clinton Executive Order
Internet becomes major deliver vehicle
More than 1 million active users

Sources of Information on GIS

The amount of information available about GIS can be

overwhelming
Sources of GIS information include journals and
magazines, books, professional societies, the World Wide
Web, and conferences
GIS has Web Home pages, network conference groups,
professional organizations, and user groups
Most colleges and universities now offer GIS classes in
geography departments

GIS Resources: Conferences

16

Major GIS Journals

International Journal of GIS

Geographical Systems
Transactions in GIS
Geographic Information and Decision Analysis
Computers, Environment, and Urban Systems
Computers and Geosciences
IEEE Transactions on Computer Graphics and Applications
Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing
URISA
Applied GIS

Popular Distribution Magazines

17

Geospatial solutions
GIS Law
Geoworld
GPS World
Mapping awareness/Mapping awareness
and GIS in Europe/Asia/Africa

Professional Organizations

URISA: Urban and Regional Information Systems

Association.
AM/FM International Automated Mapping and Facilities
Management.
AAG: The Association of American Geographers.
ACSM: American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.
ASPRS: American Society for Photogrammetry and
Remote Sensing.
NACIS: North American Cartographic Information
Society.

WWW Resources: NSDI

18

Clarke GIS Internet Guide

GIS daily internet news/jobs

19

http://www.geoplace.com
http://www.geoplace.com
http://www.giscafe.com
http://www.gis.com
http://www.geographynetwork.com
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/faqhttp://www.census.gov/geo/www/faq-index.html
http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/giswww.html
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/abbrev.html

Next Topic:
GIS Functionality

20