Unit-1 Spatial Data Concepts
Unit-1 Spatial Data Concepts
Tirup Parmar
UNIT I
Spatial Data Concepts
Q-1) What is GIS? (2014)
A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking,
and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface. By relating seemingly unrelated data,
GIS can help individuals and organizations better understand spatial patterns and relationships.
GIS technology is a crucial part of spatial data infrastructure, which the White House defines as
“the technology, policies, standards, human resources, and related activities necessary to acquire,
process, distribute, use, maintain, and preserve spatial data.”
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GIS can use any information that includes location. The location can be expressed in many
different ways, such as latitude and longitude, address, or ZIP code.
Many different types of information can be compared and contrasted using GIS. The system can
include data about people, such as population, income, or education level. It can include
information about the landscape, such as the location of streams, different kinds of vegetation,
and different kinds of soil. It can include informatio n about the sites of factories, farms, and
schools; or storm drains, roads, and electric power lines.
With GIS technology, people can compare the locations of different things in order to discover
how they relate to each other. For example, using GIS, a single map could include sites that
produce pollution, such as factories, and sites that are sensitive to pollution, such as wetlands and
rivers. Such a map would help people determine where water supplies are most at risk.
1. Mapping where things are. We can map the spatial location of real-world features and
visualize the spatial relationships among them.
Example: below we see a map of agricultural districts (in green) layered over soil types. We can
see visual patterns in the data by determining what soil types are best suited for ag districts.
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2. Mapping quantities. People map quantities, such as where the most and least are, to find
places that meet their criteria or to see the relationships between places.
Example: below is a map of cemetery locations in Wisconsin. The map shows the cemetery
locations as dots (dot density) and each county is color coded to show where the most and least
are (lighter blue means fewer cemeteries).
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4. Finding what is inside. We can use GIS to determine what is happening or what features are
located inside a specific area/region. We can determine the characteristics of "inside" by creating
specific criteria to define an area of interest (AOI). Example: below is a map showing noise
'pollution' near an airport in Minneapolis. If we add demographic data from the Census to this
map we can determine the socioeconomic characteristics of people that live within the defined
'noise pollution' area of interest.
5. Finding what is nearby. We can find out what is happening within a set distance of a feature
or event by mapping what is nearby using geoprocessing tools like BUFFER. Example: below
we see the effects on features within specified radii of a simulated explosion. Use of buffering
tools to generate set distances can aid in emergency response to disasters like these.
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6. Mapping change. We can map the change in a specific geographic area to anticipate future
conditions, decide on a course of action, or to evaluate the results of an action or policy.
Example: below we see land use maps of Barnstable, MA showing changes in residential
development from 1951 to 1999. The dark green shows forest, while bright yellow shows
residential development. Applications like this can help inform community planning processes
and policies.
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Utility GIS - Telecom GIS to support fixed and mobile telecom services (including
Location Based Services); Power-GIS solutions that allow effectively managing power
generation, power distribution and Billing solutions
GIS Applications for Oil and Gas – integration of geophysical, images and maps to
decide where to drill, route a pipeline, or build a refinery and make the right business
decisions.
GIS Applications on Web and Wireless Systems offering GIS services on a variety of
devices – internet, desktop, hand-held, mobile etc. GIS on small hand-held terminals
(like PDAs) is also provided.
3-D GIS solutions – based on converting 2-dimensional maps, extruding the polygons
to create polygon-blocks and attributing text to these polygons (from library or actual
pictures) to create a 3D visualization. Such 3-D GIS solution has immense applications in
Urban, Security, Tourism and Real-Estate applications.
Other GIS Applications – Mining & Exploration, Insurance, Retail Business etc.
GIS Hardware:-
Hardware is the computer on which a GIS operates. Today, GIS runs on a
wide range of hardware types, from centralized computer servers to desktop
computers used in standalone or networked configurations.
GIS Software:-
GIS software provides the functions and tools needed to store, analyze, and
display geographic information. Key software components are
a database management system (DBMS)
tools for the input and manipulation of geographic information
tools that support geographic query, analysis, and visualization
a graphical user interface (GUI) for easy access to tools
GIS Data: -
Maybe the most important component of a GIS is the data. Geographic data
and related tabular data can be collected in-house or bought from a commercial
data provider. Most GISs employ a DBMS to create and maintain a database to
help organize and manage data.
People:-
GIS technology is of limited value without the people who manage the
system and to develop plans for applying it. GIS users range from technical
specialists who design and maintain the system to those who use it to help them do
their everyday work.
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Methods:-
A successful GIS operates according to a well-designed plan and business
rules, which are the models and operating practices unique to each organization.
Geospatial data are data that describe both the location and characteristics of spatial
features such as roads, land parcels and vegetable stands on the earth’s surface.
The location, also called geometry or shape also represents spatial data.
The characteristics are attribute data.
Thus any geospatial data has the two components of spatial data and attribute data.
Spatial Data:-
Spatial data describes the location of spatial feature.
It may be discrete or continuous.
Discrete features are individually distinguishable features that do not exist between
observations. E.g. Points (e.g. Wells), lines (roads) etc. areas (state boundaries).
Continuous features are features that exist spatially between observations. E.g. Elevations
and precipitations.
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A GIS represents these spatial features on earth surface as map feature on plane surface.
Data Models:-
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The georelational data model uses a split system to store spatial data and attribute data.
The object based data model stores spatial as well as attribute data in single system.
Topology:-
Topology expresses explicitly the spatial relationships between features.
E.g. two lines meeting perfectly at a point and a directed line having an explicitly left and
right side.
Topological or topology based data are useful for detecting and correcting digitizing
errors in Geographic data sets.
Projection:-
Projection is a process that can transform the earth’s surface to a plane surface and bridge
two spatial system.
The location of spatial features on earth’s surface are based on geographic coordinate
system with longitude and latitude values.
Whereas, the location of map features are based on a plane coordinate system with x, y-
coordinates.
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Attribute Data:-
Attribute data describes the characteristics of spatial features.
For Raster data, each cell has a value that corresponds to the attribute of spatial feature at
that location.
A cell is tightly bound to its cell value.
For vector data, the amount of attribute data to be associated with a spatial feature can
vary significantly.
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Coordinate System:-
A coordinate system is a reference system used for locating objects in a two or three
dimensional space
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Pole:
The geographic pole of earth is defined as either of the two points where the axis of
rotation of the earth meets its surface.
The North Pole lies 90o north of the equator and the South Pole lies 90o south of the
Equator
Equator:
An imaginary line on the earth with zero degree latitude, divides the earth into two
halves–Northern and Southern Hemisphere.
This parallel has the widest circumference.
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Datum:-
A Datum is the mathematical model of earth, which serves as the reference or base for
calculating the geographic coordinates of a location.
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A projected coordinate
system is defined as two
dimensional representation of the
Earth.
It is based on a spheroid
geographic coordinate system, but
it uses linear units of measure for
coordinates.
It is also known as Cartesian
coordinate system or plane
coordinate system.
In such a coordinate system
the location of a point on the grid is
identified by (x, y) coordinate pair
and the origin lies at the centre of
grid.
The x coordinate determines
the horizontal position and y
coordinate determines the vertical
position of the point.
Conformal Projection:-
A Conformal projection preserves local angles and shapes.
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Equivalent Projection:-
An Equivalent Projection represents areas in correct relative size.
Equidistant Projection:-
An Equidistant projection preserves consistency of scale along certain lines.
Azimuthal Projection:-
An azimuthal projection retains certain accurate directions.
The conformal and equivalent properties are mutually exclusive.
The conformal and equivalent properties are global properties, meaning that they apply
the entire map projection.
The equidistant and azimuthal properties are local properties and may be true from or to
the center of map projections.
The preserved property is important for selecting an appropriate map projection for
thematic mapping.
E.g. A population map of world should be based on an equivalent projection. By
representing areas in correct size, the population map can create a correct impression of
population densities.
In contrast an equidistant projection would be better for mapping the distance ranges
from missile site.
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Development Surface
Projection transforms the coordinates of earth on to a surface that can be flattened to a plane
without distortion (shearing or stretching). Such a surface is called a developable surface. The
three basic projections are based on the types of developable surface and are introduced below:
Cylindrical Projection
It can be visualized as a cylinder wrapped around the globe.
Once the graticule is projected onto the cylinder, the cylinder is opened to get a grid like
pattern of latitudes and longitudes.
The longitudes (meridians) and latitudes (parallels) appear as straight lines
Length of equator on the cylinder is equal to the length of the equator therefore is suitable
for showing equatorial regions.
Normal: when cylinder has line of tangency to the equator. It includes Equirectangular
Projection, the Mercator projection, Lambert's Cylindrical Equal Area, Gall's
Stereographic Cylindrical, and Miller cylindrical projection.
Transverse: when cylinder has line of tangency to the meridian. It includes the Cassini
Projection, Transverse Mercator, Transverse cylindrical Equal Area Projection, and
Modified Transverse Mercator.
Oblique: when cylinder has line of tangency to another point on the globe. It only
consists of the Oblique Mercator projection.
Conic Projection
It can be visualized as a cone placed on the globe, tangent to it at some parallel.
After projecting the graticule on to the cone, the cone is cut along one of the meridian and
unfolded. Parallels appear as arcs with a pole and meridians as straight lines that
converge to the same point.
It can represent only one hemisphere, at a time, northern or southern.
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Azimuthal/Zenithal Projection
It can be visualized as a flat sheet of paper tangent to any point on the globe
The sheet will have the tangent point as the center of the circular map, where meridians
passing through the center are straight line and the parallels are seen as concentric circle.
Suitable for showing polar areas
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Points:-
A point is a 0 dimensional object and has only the property of location (x,y)
Points can be used to Model features such as a well, building, power, pole, sample
location etc.
Lines:-
A line is a one-dimensional object that has the property of length.
One dimensional
A line has two end points and points in between to mark the shape of line.
The shape of a line may be smooth curve or a collection of straight line segments.
Line is also called edge, link, and chain.
Lines can be used to represent road, streams, faults, dikes, maker beds, boundary,
contacts etc.
Polygons:-
A polygon is a two-dimensional object with properties of area and perimeter.
Two dimensional
Made up of connected lines
A polygon can represent a city, geologic formation, dike, lake, river, etc.
The vector data model prepares data in two basic steps so that computer can process the
data.
First it uses points and their x, y co-ordinate to represent spatial features such as points,
Line and area.
Second, it organises the geometric objects and their spatial relationships into digital data
file that the computer can access, interpret, process.
Vector data model can be presented in two data models based on the system
Geo relational data model
object based vector data model
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Topology:-
The Science of mathematics of relationships used to validate the geometry of vector
entities, and for operations such as network tracing and tests of polygon adjacency.
The study of geometric properties that do not change when the forms are bent, stretched
or undergo similar geometric transformations.
A set of rules on how objects relate to each other
Expresses explicitly (directly) the spatial relationships between features.
In Vector data model digraphs (Directed graphs) are used to represent topology.
Digraphs includes points and lines.
The directed line are called arcs.
The points where arc meets are called nodes.
We use adjacency matrix to represent relationships between nodes and arcs.
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Data Structure:-
The coverage model incorporates the topological relationship into structure of the feature
data.
The coverage data structure of point feature is simple.
It contains feature identification number (ID) and pairs of x- and y- coordinates. The data
structure for point coverage is shown in figure DS1.
The data structure for line coverage is shown in figure DS2.
The starting point of an arc is from node and the end point to node.
The arc node list sorts out the arc node relation.
As it can be seen in figure DS2 that 12 is the from-node and 13 is the to-node.
(Sorted order)
Figure DS3 shows the data structure for polygon coverage.
The polygon/arc list shows the relationship between polygons and arcs.
For e.g. 1,4 and 6 connect to define polygon 101.
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Data Structures
The Geodatabase model distinguishes between “feature class” and “feature dataset”.
A feature class spatial data of same geometry type.
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A feature dataset stores classes that share same coordinate system and are extent.
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Cell Size:-
It represents resolution of raster data model.
Raster Bands:-
A raster may have single band or multiple band.
Each cell in a multiband raster is associated with more than one cell value. Eg.Satellite
image which may have five, seven, or more cell values at each location.
In single band raster each cell has only one cell value.eg. Elevation
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For multi-spectral satellite image, each cell has more than one value, data are stored in
either of the following formats.
The band interleaved by line (.bil): this method stores the 1st value of every row
sequentially, followed by the second value of every row, and so on in one image.
The Band Sequential (.bsq) method: stores values of each band sequentially in one
image.
The Band Interleave by Pixel (.bip): each row of an image is stored sequentially, row 1
all bands, row 2 all bands, and so on.
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Quad tree:-
Instead of working along one row at a time, quad tree uses recursive decomposition to
divide a raster into hierarchy of quadrants.
Uses recursive decomposition to divide a grid into a hierarchy of quadrants.
Recursive decomposition refers to a process of continuous subdivision until every
quadrant in a quad tree contains only one cell value.
A quadrant having cells with the same value will not be sub-divided, and it is stored as a
leaf node.
Leaf nodes are coded with the value homogeneous quadrant.
A quadrant having different cell values will be subdivided until a quadrant at the finer
level contains only one value.
Data Compression:-
Refers to the reduction of raster data volumes.
Run length encoding method may reach 10:1 compression ratio.
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TIFF and GIF files use lossless compression which allows the original image to be
precisely reconstructed.
JPEG files use lossy compression which can achieve high compression ratios but cannot
reconstruct the original image fully.
MrSid (Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database) has capability of recalling image data
at different resolution or scales and also can compress a large image.
Data Conversion:-
Conversion of vector to raster data is called rasterization.
Conversion of raster to vector data is called vectorization.
Both require use of computer algorithms which most GIS software have.
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