10/30/2022

FEB 503
Lecture 3

Outline
• Explore Vector and Raster data characteristics
• Common Raster and Vector file formats
• Databases and Geodatabases
• Sources of data for GIS

Advantages of Raster Data

• a simple data structure
• The geographic space is divided into spatial units for analysis
• better suited to analysis that requires stacking/adding,
subtracting, multiplying …. Overlay Analysis
• high spatial variability is efficiently represented
• the model is useful for efficient manipulation and
enhancement of digital images
• digital data processing, etc.

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Advantages of Vector
• compact data structure
• less use of storage space compares to rasters
• efficient encoding of topology – topology describes the
spatial relationships between objects – contains, adjacent, …
• more efficient implementation of operations that require
topological information, such as network analysis
• better suited to supporting graphics that closely approximate
hand-drawn maps

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Disadvantages of Raster
• data structure is less compact
• data compression techniques often used
• Topological relationships are more difficult to represent
• The output of graphics is less aesthetically pleasing
• Especially when the spatial resolution is course
• can be overcome by using a very large number of cells (hence
improving the spatial resolution), but this results in large files

Disadvantages of Vector
• complex data structure
• the unit of analysis is the geographic object
• overlay operations are more difficult to implement
• the representation of high spatial variability is inefficient
• manipulation and enhancement of digital images cannot be
effectively done in the vector

Common Vector Formats

• Standalone Files
• Single, standalone files e.g. ESRI Shapefiles
• XML variants such as GML, KML – for supporting web maps,
web services etc
• Data Storage standards such as WKT, WKB
• Databases
• Relational Databases, DBMS,
• Geodatabases

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Common Raster Formats

• Standalone Files
• JPEG
• TIFF, GeoTIFF
• PNG
• BIL, etc

Database
• A database is a collection of information that is organized so
that it can easily be easily accessed, managed, updated, …
• A database is designed to support many applications / uses
• Databases typically contain aggregations of data records or
files, such as …. Parcels, Land Use, …
• A database manager provides users the capabilities of
controlling read/write access, specifying report generation,
and analyzing usage

Database
• Data management in GIS Consists of storing & manipulating
a variety of data : Spatial, Attribute, …
• Storage is done in a way that permits a user to retrieve or
display any combinations of these data after analysis and
manipulation
• Spatial data should be stored in a database capable of
handling spatial data. Examples: (Oracle Spatial), (PostGIS), …
• Attribute data can be stored in any conventional databases …
dbf (shapefiles), relational DB, etc.
• Attribute data play a critical role in GIS analysis

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Example of wkt

Database Management Systems (DBMS)

• A software that permits multiple users and applications to work
efficiently with data (concurrency,
• Stores data in such a way that it becomes easier to retrieve,
manipulate, and produce information

Database Management Systems

• A DBMS allows:-
• File handling and file management
• Data definition, attributes and relationships
• Inserting, updating and deleting records;
• Query or extraction of information
• Maintenance of data security & integrity
• minimize redundancy
• facilitate physical and logical data independence
• Interface between data and applications

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Functions of a DBMS
• Security: protection of data against accidental or intentional
disclosure to, or destruction, by (un/)authorised persons/entities
• Integrity: ability to protect data from systems problems through
backups, recovery, range checking, …
• enforce the necessary constraints of the data, and inconsistencies
that can result from multiple simultaneous users.
• Minimise Redundancy: reduce data that are dependent on
others
• Efficiency: depends on - volume of data, method of data
encoding, database structure, and complexity of queries

Database Models
• Many database systems of today are relational,
• The relational model:
• Is easy to explain and implement; well suited for ad-hoc
queries and relational languages (e.g. SQL) are easier to learn
• Hierarchic and Network systems are navigational
• May provide faster response to predefined queries
• Object Oriented Model
• Data in relational DBs remain inherently “static”, unless they
are updated.

Geodatabase
• A geodatabase is a store of GIS data in a central location for
easy access and management. It sits on top of a data store,
such as a relational database management system (RDBMS)
such as SQL Server, Oracle, or PostgreSQL; or a set of files
such as shapefiles, and supports all types of GIS data.
• A geodatabse is an organizational structure for storing spatial
datasets and defining relationships between those datasets.

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Geodatabase
• There are several types of geodatabases:
• Personal geodatabases : are a small geodatabase that store
data on the local file system. For example, a MS Access
database
• File geodatabases: The data is stored in a proprietary format
developed e.g. Esri shapefile.
• ArcSDE geodatabases or "enterprise geodatabases" : store
data in a DBMS: SQL Server, Oracle, or PostgreSQL.
• A single dataset in a Geodatabase is a Feature Class

Sources of Data for GIS

• the most common general sources for spatial data are:
• hard copy maps;
• aerial photographs;
• remotely-sensed imagery;
• point data samples from surveys; and
• existing digital data files.

Scanning and Digitizing

• Scanners: Convert an analogue data source (usually a printed
map, in the case of GIS) into a digital dataset. The data are
structured as a raster.
• Digitizers: Provide a means of converting an analogue or
scanned spatial data source to a digital dataset with a vector
structure.
• Digitizing from a hard copy using a digitizing tablet
• Screen digitizing from a scanned source

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Aerial Photogrammetry
• the science and technology of obtaining reliable information
about physical objects and the environment through
processes of recording, measuring and interpreting aerial
images

Remote Sensing
• a technique of obtaining information about objects through
the analysis of data collected by sensors that are not in
physical contact with the objects.

Epilogue

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References