GEOGRAPHIC

INFORMATION
SYSTEM/MAPPING
TECHNOLOGIES

Christopher F. Gilos, PAE, REB, REA, EnP

GEOGRAPHIC - physical features of region, city, municipality,
town, etc. in relation to human population
INFORMATION - facts and DATA
SYSTEM - a method of organizing or working or storing data
`
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSYEM (GIS),
Geographical Information System, or
Geospatial Information System
- is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate,
analyze, manage and present all types of
geographically referenced data. In the simplest terms,
GIS is the merging of cartography*, statistical analysis
and database technology.
*Cartography - is the design and production of maps, or
visual representations of spatial data
In a GIS, the features are indicated as points, lines, and
polygons or as small squares in a grid. Attribute
information regarding these features may also be
attached.
With GIS, a number of operations and analytical processes
can be performed both on the geographic data and on the
tabular / attribute data.

Geographic information is information about all those

features that are possible to locate to a position. In other
words, GIS is a tool to link features with geographic location,
mostly presented on a map, together with other types of
information such as tables and templates, texts, images,
drawings or video sequences.
 Geographic Information Technologies
• Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
– a system of earth-orbiting satellites which can provide
precise (100 meter to sub-cm.) location on the earth’s
surface (in lat/long, UTM coordinates or equiv.)
• Remote Sensing (RS)
– use of satellites (and aircraft) to capture information
about the earth’s surface
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
– 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.

A GIS provides for storing and manipulating GPS and RS data.
 Defining Geographic Information Systems
• The common ground between information processing and the
many fields using spatial analysis techniques. (Tomlinson, 1972)

• A powerful set of tools for collecting, storing, retrieving,

transforming, and displaying spatial data from the real world.
(Burroughs, 1986)

• A computerized database management system for the

capture, storage, retrieval, analysis and display of spatial
(locationally defined) data. (NCGIA, 1987)

• A decision support system involving the integration of

spatially referenced data in a problem solving environment.
(Cowen, 1988)

• A manual or computerized set of procedures to store and

manipulate geographically referenced data. (Aronoff 1989)
 An Informal Definition for GIS
 A system of integrated computer-based tools for end-
to-end processing (capture, storage, retrieval,
analysis, display) of data using location on the earth’s
surface for interrelation in support of operations
management, decision making, and science.

• set of integrated tools for spatial analysis

• encompasses end-to-end processing of data
– capture, storage, retrieval, analysis/modification, display
• uses explicit location on earth’s surface to relate data
• aimed at decision support, as well as on-going
operations and scientific inquiry
 Why is GIS Important?
• GIS technology integrates spatial and other kind of spatial
information within a single system. It offers a consistent
framework for analyzing geographical data.

• GIS allows us to manipulate and display geographical

knowledge in new and exciting ways.

• GIS makes connections between activities based on

geographic proximity

• Looking at data geographically can often suggest new insight

explanation.
• These connections are often unrecognized without GIS, but
can be vital to understanding and managing activities and
resources.
 Why Study GIS?
 80% of local government activities estimated to be geographically based
 plans, zoning, public works (streets, water supply, sewers), garbage collection,
land ownership and valuation
 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 (irrigation plan)
 civil engineering and construction
 scientific research employs GIS
 geography, geology, botany
 anthropology, sociology, economics, political science
 Epidemiology, criminology
 What GIS does?
 It links geographic locations with information about them
in order to visualize (as maps) and analyze information in
new ways
Observation Interpretation
 Questions that GIS can deal with:
1. Can you map that? (cartographic)
2. Where is what? (cartographic)
3. Where has it change? (temporal analysis)
4. What relationships exist? (spatial analysis)
5. Where is it best? (suitability analysis)
6. What affects what? (system models)
7. What if…? (simulation)
 Who studies GIS?
The major areas of GIS application
 Local Government
 Public works/infrastructure management (roads, water, sewer)
 Planning and environmental management
 property records and appraisal
 Real Estate and Marketing
 Retail site selection, site evaluation
 Public safety - CCTVs
 Crime analysis, fire prevention, emergency management
 Natural resource exploration/extraction
 Petroleum, minerals, quarrying
 Transportation
 Airline route planning, transportation modeling
 Public health and epidemiology
 The Geospatial Industry
 Data development, application development, programming
Examples of Applied GIS
 Urban Planning, Management & Policy
 Zoning, subdivision planning
 Land acquisition
 Economic development
 Code enforcement
 Housing renovation programs
 Emergency response
 Crime analysis
 Tax assessment
 Environmental Sciences
 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
Examples of Applied GIS
 Civil Engineering/Utility
 Locating underground facilities
 Designing alignment for freeways, transit
 Coordination of infrastructure maintenance
 Business
 Demographic Analysis
 Market Penetration/ Share Analysis
 Site Selection
 Education Administration
 Attendance Area Maintenance
 Enrollment Projections
 School Bus Routing
 Real Estate
 Neighborhood land prices
 Traffic Impact Analysis
 Determination of Highest and Best Use
 Health Care
 Epidemiology
 Needs Analysis
 Service Inventory
 Knowledge Base for GIS
Computer
Science/MIS
graphics
visualization Application Area:
database public admin.
GIS planning
system administration
security geology
mineral exploration
forestry
site selection
Geography marketing
and related: civil engineering
cartography criminal justice
geodesy surveying
photogrammetry
landforms The convergence of technological fields and
spatial statistics. traditional disciplines.
 What GIS Applications Do:
manage, analyze, communicate
• make possible the automation of activities involving geographic data
– map production
– calculation of areas, distances, route lengths
– measurement of slope, aspect, viewshed
– logistics: route planning, vehicle tracking, traffic management

• allow for the integration of data hitherto confined to independent

domains (e.g property maps and air photos).

• by tieing data to maps, permits the succinct communication of complex

spatial patterns (e.g environmental sensitivity).

• provides answers to spatial queries (how many elderly in Richardson live

further than 10 minutes at rush hour from ambulance service?)

• perform complex spatial modeling (what if scenarios for transportation

planning, disaster planning, resource management, utility design)
 GIS Components:

• Data input (maps, images, field notes)

• Data storage and retrieval/data management
(database management system)
• Data manipulation and analysis (map overlays)
• Data display/visualization (maps, tables, graphs)
 DATA INPUT
 Data from aerial photograph
 Data from RS satellite images
 Data from existing maps
 Tabular data
 Field survey data
 Data from other digital databases

Factors influencing data input

 Time consuming (approx. 85% of GIS project time is on data
collection and input)
 Cost (approx. 5 to 10 times that of GIS hardware and software)
 Methods and data quality
 STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL (DATA
MANAGEMENT)
Data management includes two functions:
• How to store data into GIS database
• How to retrieve data from GIS database

Performance of these functions depends on how the data are

organized in the computer storage (e.g. hard disks).

One or more data files are stored in a structured manner such

that relationships exist between different items or data sets
and they are properly used for retrieval and manipulation
purposes.
 DATA MANIPULATION AND
ANALYSIS
• These functions determine the information that can
be generated by the GIS.

• Users’ needs are strongly related in defining models

and consequently analysis functions that GIS needs
to perform to achieve the required information.

• Thus users’ involvement is necessary during

information planning, system design and testing.
 VISUALIZATION OF PRODUCTS

• GIS products or reports can be in forms of:

– Maps
– Tables

• Both of them can either be in hard-copy (paper) or

soft-copy (electronic files).

• User involvement is important in specifying the

output requirements.
 The GIS Data Model: Purpose

• allows the geographic features in real

world locations to be digitally represented
and stored in a database so that they can
be abstractly presented in map (analog)
form, and can also be worked with and
manipulated to address some problem

(see associated diagrams)

GIS Data Model
 The GIS Data Model: Implementation
Geographic Integration of Information

Administrative Boundaries
Utilities

Zoning
Buildings
Parcels
Hydrography
Streets
Digital Orthophoto

• Data is organized by layers, coverages or themes (synonymous concepts),

with each theme representing a common feature.
• Layers are integrated using explicit location on the earth’s surface, thus
geographic location is the organizing principal.
 The GIS Model: example
Here we have three layers or themes:
--roads,
--hydrology (water),
roads --topography (land elevation)
They can be related because precise
longitude
geographic coordinates are recorded for each
theme.
Layers are comprised of two data types
hydrology
•Spatial data which describes location (where)
•Attribute data specifying what, how much,when
longitude
Layers may be represented in two ways:
•in vector format as points and lines
•in raster(image) format as pixels

topography All geographic data has 4 properties:

projection, scale, accuracy and resolution
longitude
GIS – Geographic Information System
 Spatial and Attribute Data
 Spatial data (where)
 specifies location
 stored in a shape file in Arcview
 Attribute (descriptive) data (what, how much, when)
 specifies characteristics at that location, natural or
human-created
 stored in a data base table

 GIS systems traditionally maintain spatial and attribute

data separately, then “join” them for display or analysis
 for example, in ArcView, the Attributes of … table is
used to link a shape file (spatial structure) with a data
base table containing attribute information in order to
display the attribute data
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM
(GPS)
 GIS – Geographic Information System
GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS)
-technology is an accurate method for GIS data input. GPS uses
a network of 24 satellites above the earth transmitting signals,
and receiving equipment on the ground, to determine
geographic location.

-As a data input device for GIS map making, a GPS unit can be
used to find x,y coordinates for geographic features by simply
going to where the feature is and collecting the positional
information that is transmitted from the satellites

GPS is a device to collect date, while GIS is the receiver of the

said data and integrates it other data stored to come up with a
cohesive and almost accurate layer available for interpretation
 GIS – Geographic Information System
BEARINGS VERSUS GEOGRAPHICAL
COORDINATES
GIS – Geographic Information System

N – 0 deg
N-W quadrant

N 77- 40 W

W – 90 deg E – 90 deg
BBM No. 11, Pls-22

S – 0 deg

N 77°40’00” E
GIS – Geographic Information System

Longitude – distance to the East or

West direction in relation to the
Prime Meridian- MAX.DEGREE – 180
Latitude – distance to the North or
South direction in relation to the
Equator - MAX.DEGREE – 90 deg
 GIS – Geographic Information System

Latitude and longitude form a

geographical coordinate system used
for locating places on the surface of
the earth. They are angular
measurements, expressed as degrees
of a circle measured from the center
of the earth. The earth spins on its
axis, which intersects the surface at
the north and south poles. The poles
are the natural starting place for the
graticule, a spherical grid of latitude
and longitude lines.
 GIS – Geographic Information System
LATITUDE
Halfway between the poles
lies the equator. Latitude is
the angular measurement of
a place expressed in degrees
north or south of the
equator. Latitude runs from
0° at the equator to 90°N or
90°S at the poles. Lines of
latitude run in an east-west
direction. They are called
parallels because they are
equally distant from,
 GIS – Geographic Information System
LONGITUDE
Lines of longitude, called meridians, run
in a north-south direction from pole to
pole. Longitude is the angular
measurement of a place east or west of
the prime meridian. This meridian is
also known as the Greenwich Meridian,
because it runs through the original site
of the Royal Observatory, which was
located at Greenwich, just outside
London, England. Longitude runs from
0° at the prime meridian to 180° east or
west, halfway around the globe. The
International Date Line follows the 180°
meridian, making a few jogs to avoid
cutting through land areas
 GIS – Geographic Information System
DEGREES, MINUTES, SECONDS
A degree (°) of latitude or longitude can
be subdivided into 60 parts called
minutes ('). Each minute can be further
subdivided into 60 seconds ("). One
degree of latitude equals approximately
69 miles (111 km). One minute is just
over a mile, and one second is around
100 feet (a pretty precise location on a
globe with a circumference of 25,000
miles). Because meridians converge at
the poles, the length of a degree of
longitude varies, from 69 miles at the
equator to 0 at the poles (longitude
becomes a point at the poles).
 GIS – Geographic Information System
90
P 60°0’0"N, 90°0’0“E
60
L
LONGITUDE

LONGITUDE 30
O 8°0’0"N, 125°0’0“E
0
T 45 90 135 180
T 15°0’0”S, 60°0’0“W
LATITUDE
30°0’0”S, 135°0’0“E
I LATITUDE

N
G
World Map Showing the longitude and latitude references
 GIS – Geographic Information System
90 30°0’0"N, 135°0’0“E
E
60
X
LONGITUDE

LONGITUDE
75°23’52"N, 146°15’12“W
30
E
0
R 45 90 135 180
C LATITUDE

I LATITUDE
30°11’10“S, 23°32’25“E
S 50°15’59“S, 67°45’41“W

E
World Map Showing the longitude and latitude references
 GIS – Geographic Information System

LOCATE THE BOUNDARIES OF A LOT WITH GEOGRAPHICAL

COODTINATES AS FOLLOWS:
GIS – Geographic Information System
GIS – Geographic Information System
GIS – Geographic Information System
GIS – Geographic Information System
GIS – Geographic Information System
GIS – Geographic Information System
 GIS – Geographic Information System
USES OF GIS IN ENVI PLANNING
 PLANNERS CAN LOCATE/IDENTIFY EXACT LOCATION/ZONE OF PROPERTY
EVEN BEFORE GOING TO THE SITE, ESP. IN CASES OF LARGE SCALE DEV’T
PROJECTS WHERE THE PROPERTY TO BE EVALUATED IS IN HECTARES (e.g.
factory site, mining area, forested area, plantation, etc.)
 CAN EASILY VERIFY THE SHAPE/ FORM OF THE LOT CONSIDERING IT IS ONE
OF THE FACTORS FOR EVALUATION
 YOU CAN IDENTIFY THE NEIGHBORING DEVELOPMENTS OF THE PROPERTY
FOR EVALUATION
 CAN RECOMMEND THE CONFORMING USE OF THE PROPERTY BASED ON
THE CLUP
 And more….
NAMRIA is mandated to provide the public with mapmaking services and to act
as the central mapping agency, depository, and distribution facility for natural
resources data in the form of maps, charts, texts, and statistics.

PRODUCTS
•topographic maps, aerial photographs, and satellite images
•nautical charts needed for sea navigation
• keeps all base map reproducibles such as different thematic maps such as
land condition, land cover, land use, planimetric, and administrative maps

SERVICES
provide the public with surveying and mapping services, training on
Geographic Information System or GIS, technical assistance on GIS
development and certifications to various data and technical equipment
such as Global Positioning Systems or GPS.
PROJECTS

Philippine Geoportal Project Philippine ECS Delimitation Project

Philippine Reference System 1992 Philippine Active Geodetic Network
Thank You !