GIS(Geographic information system)

and its application in civil

engineering

Done By :
Marwan Hisham Salah ELdin Abd-ELHamid .

TO:
PROFESSOR.DR. RASHA .

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GIS (Geographic information system)
designing our future

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  Abstract

Geographic information system (GIS) technology is

attracting interest from a broad range of civil engineering
disciplines because of its potential to provide a new
environment for problem solving which could lower costs,
improve quality, and support multidiscipline analysis for
complex projects. This paper reviews the primary
components and capabilities of GIS technology and shows
how it is used in many civil engineering applications
including infrastructure management, transportation, land
use planning, water resources engineering, and
environmental engineering.

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 CONTENTS
 PREFACE
 Introduction 6
 What is GIS? 7
 Why is GIS? 7
 Author, Serve, Use. 7
 Infrastructure life cycle. 8
 Major GIS functions. 13
 Data Integration, Visualization, andManagement. 13
 Infrastructure Management. 14
 Use GIS for more efficient. 14
 Conclusion. 18

 CIVIL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS. 22

o Landslide Hazard Zonation using 20

o Site selection for solid waste disposal 20
o GIS in Mapping 21
o Transportation Planning 21
o Soil Mapping 22
o Surveying. 23
o Worldwide Earthquake Information System 23
o Economic Development 24
o Locating Underground Pipes and Cables 24

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 o Reservoir Site Selection 25
o Desertification 25
o Pipeline Route Selection 25
o Site Suitability for Waste Treatment Plant 26
o SCoastal Development and Management 26
o Snow Cover Mapping and Runoff Prediction 27

 References. 28

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  INTRODUCTION

A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based tool for the

input, storage, management, retrieval and output of information. The
information in a GIS relates to the characteristics of geographic locations or
areas. In other words, a GIS answers questions about where things are or
about what is located at a given location. The term “GIS” has different
meanings in different contexts. It can relate to the overall system of
hardware and software that is used to work with spatial information. It
might refer to a particular software package that is designed to handle
information about geographic features. It may relate to an application, for
example a comprehensive geographic database of a country or region. Data
capturing from Aerial Photography and / or Remote sensing systems were
made with the help of Global Positioning Systems, Digitizing and Scanning.
Civil engineering is about developing and sustaining infrastructure. The
profession covers many areas of interest and a broad range of expertise. As
a result, civil engineers work with a voluminous amount of data from a
variety of sources. Geographic information system (GIS) technology
provides the tools for creating, managing, analyzing, and visualizing the
data associated with developing and managing infrastructure. GIS allows
civil engineers to manage and share data and turn it into easily understood
reports and visualizations that can be analyzed and communicated to
others. This data can be related to both a project and its broader
geographic context. It also helps organizations and governments work
together to develop strategies for sustainable development. Thus, GIS is
playing an increasingly important role in civil engineering companies,
supporting all phases of the infrastructure life cycle.

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  What is GIS?
Geographic Information System (GIS) is a system intended to capture,
store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical
data. In the merging of cartography, statistical analysis, and database
technology.

 Why GIS?
GIS software is interoperable, supporting the many data formats used in
the infrastructure life cycle and allowing civil engineers to provide data to
various agencies in the required format while maintaining the data’s core
integrity. GIS technology provides a central location to conduct spatial
analysis, overlay data, and integrate other solutions and systems. Built on a
database rather than individual project files, GIS enables civil engineers to
easily manage, reuse, share, and analyze data, saving time and resources.

 Author, Serve, Use.

GIS lets you easily author data, maps, globes, and models on the desktop;
serve them to a GIS server; and use them through Web, desktop, and
mobile clients.

 Spatial Analysis
GIS provides tools for modeling information to support more intelligent,
faster decisions; discover and characterize geographic patterns; optimize
network and resource allocation; and automate workflows through a visual
modeling environment.

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  Visualization and Cartography
Through the use of 2D and 3D clients, you can experience a more
interactive way of seeing data, visualizing change over time and space to
identify patterns and trends, and disseminate knowledge to engineers,
managers, clients, regulators, and field-based personnel.

 Spatial Data Management

GIS organizes and manages geographic information to support fast and
efficient visualization and analytic applications, regardless of the amount of
data held within an organization. Agencies securely store and manage vast
amounts of spatial information and propagate data changes between
multiple data sources.

 INFRASTRUCTURE LIFE CYCLE

A centralized information system based on ESRI® GIS software provides civil
engineers with the IT framework for maintaining and deploying critical data
and applications across every aspect of the infrastructure project life cycle
including planning and design, data collection and management, spatial
analysis, construction, and operations management and maintenance. This
architectureprovides the tools to assemble intelligent GIS applications and
improve a project process by giving engineers, construction contractors,
surveyors, and analysts a single data source from which to work. Centrally
hosting applications and data makes it easy to manage, organize, and
integrate geographic data, including CAD data, from existing databases to
visualize, analyze, and make decisions. The system helps combat data
communication errors, eliminating the need for multiple, flat files in
disparate systems.

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  Planning
It contains high-level planning functions for site location including
environmental impact mitigation, economic analysis, regulatory
permitting, alternative siting analysis, routing utilities, what-if
scenarios, visualization of concept options, data overlay, modeling,
and benefit/cost alternatives analysis.

 Data Collection
It has specific functions to collect precise site data used for predesign
analysis; design; and calculations including field survey, topography, soils,
subsurface geology, traffic, lidar, photo grammetry, imaging, sensitive
environmental areas, wetlands, hydrology, and other site specific design-
grade data.

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  Environmental Analysis
It provides analysis to support design including hydrology analysis, volume
calculations, soil load analysis, traffic capacity, environmental impact, slope
stability, materials consumption, runoff, erosion control, and air emissions.
During environmental analysis, view project maps, site photos, CAD files,
survey measurements, and3D renderings. Analysis of the environment with
a GIS allows you to view patterns, trends, and relationships that were not
clearly evident without the visualization of data.

 Design
It allows creation of new infrastructure data for new civil works including
grading, contouring, specifications, cross sections, design calculations, mass
haul plans, environmental mitigation plans, and equipment staging. This
includes integration with traditional design tools such as CAD and
databases for new design capabilities.

 Construction
It provides the mechanics and management for building new infrastructure
including takeoffs; machine control; earth movement; intermediate
construction, volume and material, and payment calculations; materials
tracking; logistics; schedules; and traffic management.

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  Data Collection As - Built Surveying
GIS provides the tools to collect precise site data and document existing
conditions. With as-built surveying infrastructure data, operators use
defined, operational, industry-standard data models. As-built surveying
with GIS technology permits the surveyor to deliver data into operational
GIS, eliminating costly data conversion and reducing errors.

 Operations/Maintenance
It models utility and infrastructure networks and integrates other related
types of data such as raster images and CAD drawings. Spatial selection and
display tools allow you to visualize scheduled work, ongoing activities,
recurring maintenance problems, and historical information. The
topological characteristics of a GIS database can support network tracing
and can be used to analyze specific properties or services that may be
impacted by such events as stoppages, main breaks, and drainage defects.
An engineering information system based on enterprise GIS technology
streamlines activities from field data collection to project management.
With this single relational database, you are connected to all your clients;
construction sites; and inventory, network, and maintenance data. A
server-based data management environment leveraging GIS capabilities
promotes efficient workflows in data and project management. It allows
you to streamline your work processes in data capture, editing, analysis,
visualization, and design. With an ability to communicate changes to an
entire team rapidly, GIS gives your entire team access to the most current
information supporting better decision making.

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GIS enhances workflows in
• Project management
• Analysis and design
• Logistics

GIS provides
• Data accuracy
• Data sharing
• Analysis capability
• Modeling

 GIS data Models

Despite the heterogeneity of the information that can be stored in a GIS,
there are only a few common methods of representing spatial information
in a GIS database. In developing a GIS application, real world features need
to be translated into simplified representations that can be stored and
manipulated in a computer. Two data models are internal representations
of geographic information and currently dominate commercial GIS
software: The vector data model, is used to symbolize discrete features
such as houses, roads or districts. Raster data model is most often used to
represent continuously varying phenomena such as elevation or climate,
but is also used to store pictures or image data from satellites and plane
based cameras. For census applications, the vector data model is usually
more useful, although many auxiliary data sets are more appropriately
stored using the raster.

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  Major GIS functions

• Data capture
 Graphic data: digitized, converted from existing data Attribute data:
keyed-in, loaded from existing data files
• Data storage and manipulation
 File management Editing
• Data analysis
 Database query
 Spatial analysis
 Modeling
• Data display
 Maps
 Reports

 Data Integration, Visualization, and Management

You can use GIS to combine and interpret data from many different
formats. GIS allows you to integrate satellite images, CAD drawings, and
parcel maps to create a visual overview of a project and turn it into easily
understood reports. It accepts CAD data without conversion and includes it
as a layer in a geodatabase A GIS geodatabase gives you the ability to
handle rich data types and apply sophisticated rules and relationships. In
addition to managing large volumes of geographic data, it also implements
sophisticated business logic that, for example, builds relationships between
data types such as topologies and geometric networks, validates data, and

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controls access. Data management tools scale to meet your needs, from
the individual to workgroups and large, multiuser enterprises.

 Infrastructure Management
Visualizing assets and the surrounding environment when you build,
upgrade, and repair infrastructure helps you decide how to prioritize your
work, convince others of its importance, and make good decisions about
how to move forward with your plans. Having an accurate, clear picture of
the project helps you better understand needs, reduce problems, and
mitigate costs and environmental impacts. These processes are improved
when GIS is the core system for data management and visualization. With
all the demands on your time, using tools that streamline your business
processes and provide you with the best mapping and visualization makes
sense. GIS can help you present information in a straightforward way to
partners in your projects, government officials, and the public. With ArcGIS
Server technology, you can take maps that you have created with ArcGIS
Desktop software and publish them over the Web so you, your partners,
and your staff in the field can see how a project is progressing.

 Use GIS for more efficient

• Environmental analysis
• Infrastructure design
• Transportation
• Watershed management
• Land fill site selection
• Town planning and urban development

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  SITE ANALYSIS
GIS quickly incorporates and analyzes many types of information and
images for site analysis. Highly accurate results displayed geographically
provide insight into connections and relationships, and customers relate
easily to a recognizable map. The base map can include parcel maps, zoning
and city designations, environmental protection areas, aerial photos, and
topographic and soil maps. Overlays of relevant data on population growth,
commercial activity, and traffic flow combine to rapidly paint a meaningful
picture of a site’s opportunities and constraints. Civil engineers use GIS to
keep track of multiple urban and regional indicators, forecast future
community needs, and plan accordingly to guarantee quality of life in
livable communities for everyone. Federal, regional, state, and local
planning agencies have realized the power of GIS to identify problems,
respond to them efficiently, and share the results with each other. A GIS
solution provides tools to help them reach their agency missions while
doing more and spending less.

 CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION

Engineers responsible for the safety and security of buildings, bridges,
utilities, and other critical infrastructure need a comprehensive decision-
making tool for emergency assessment,preparation response, and recovery
activities. GIS technology provides a situational awareness tool for fusing
information, from flood elevation and evacuation routes to a bridge’s
structural specifications and inspection results. With critical infrastructure
information stored in a geo database, you can display that information in
real time on a Web-based map. Use GIS tools to combine and analyze
specific data needed to meet a required task. Add current traffic and
weather data, draw buffer protection zones, and share new changes in real
time.

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  Emergency managers use the enterprise GIS
database to
• Identify critical infrastructure and hazards within affected areas
. • Identify medical resources and route patients to nearest facilities
. • Prepare evacuation routes for at-risk populations
. • Provide accurate damage estimates.
• Identify priorities for short-term recovery needs.
• Assess long-term recovery needs.

 TRANSPORTATION
Geographic information systems for transportation (GIS-T) are Inter
connected hardware, software, data, people, organizations and
institutional arrangements for collecting, storing, analyzing and
communicating particular types of information about the earth. The
particular types of information are transportation systems and geographic
regions that affect or are affected by these systems. GIS-T have "arrived"
and represent one of the most important applications of GIS. The GIS-T
community has its own, widely recognized moniker (namely, "GIS-T").
There are dedicated conferences and well-attended session tracks at
mainstream conferences. Papers and articles about GIS-T can be found in a
wide range of general and specialized GIS journals and trade publications.
GIS-T consultants abound. There are career opportunities the public and
private sectors. Indeed, some have recognized the recentemergence of a
"second GIS-T renaissance" as GIS data and services continue to improve in
leaps and bounds.

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  LAND FILL SITE SELECTION
GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a useful tool that can be utilized in
the search for suitable new landfill sites. GIS is a powerful technology which
permits accurate processing of spatial data covering a large number of
themes, from a variety of sources, specifically cartographic/numeric data,
enabling processing, overlay and derivation of thematic maps, enabling
tailored solutions for a whole series of applications to be furnished. Advent
of highly sophisticated computerized GIS systems, digitized map data, and
Landsat satellites and other remote sensing sensors that help to define
infrastructural and land use patterns, have dramatically increased the
potential of GIS to aid in the development of a more systematic approach
to landfill site selection. Such an approach should ideally combine
computerized GIS and geotechnical site investigation methodologies (Allen
et al, 1997). There is also a need for greater transparency in the site
selection procedure, in order to promote public confidence in the
nonbiased scientific basis of the process as a counter to the widely-
encountered NIMBY syndrome.

 TOWN PLANNING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

The unprecedented growth of urbanization in India has given rise to
problems of housing, sanitation, power, water supply, disposal of effluents
and environmental pollution. Systematic mapping and periodic monitoring
of urban land use is therefore necessary for proper planning management
and policy making. For sustainable development of urban agglomeration,
optimal urban land use plans and resources development models need to
be generated by integrating the information on natural resources,
demographic andsocio – economic data in a GIS domain with the currently
available satellite data.

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  WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
GIS improves calculations for watershed characteristics, flow statics, debris
flow probability, and facilitates the watershed delineation by using Digital
Elevation Models (DEMs). It provides a consistent method for watershed
analysis using DEMs and standardized datasets such as land cover, soil
properties, gauging station locations, and climate variables.
 ArcGIS with Arc Hydro gives you the flexibility to combine watershed
datasets from one map source with stream and river networks.
 Use ArcGIS Spatial Analyst for hydrologic analysis such as calculating
flow across an elevation surfaces, which provides the basis for
creating stream networks and watersheds; calculating flow path
length; and assigning stream orders.

 CONCLUSION
There are ample evidences of applying the recent advances in satellite
based remote sensing and GIS technology in various fields of civil
engineering. India’s space programmer ensuring continuous availability of
RS data and launching of future satellites carrying high spatial and spectral
resolution sensors can go a long way in providing useful information
required for civil engineering application.

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 CIVIL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS.
 Landslide Hazard Zonation using
 Site selection for solid waste disposal
 GIS in Mapping
 Transportation Planning
 Soil Mapping
 Surveying.
 Worldwide Earthquake Information System
 Economic Development
 Locating Underground Pipes and Cables
 Reservoir Site Selection
 Desertification
 Pipeline Route Selection
 Site Suitability for Waste Treatment Plant
 SCoastal Development and Management
 Snow Cover Mapping and Runoff Prediction

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Landslide Hazard Zonation using GIS
Landslide hazard zonation is the process of ranking different parts of an
area according to the degrees of actual or potential hazard from landslides.
The evaluation of landslide hazard is a complex task. It has become possible
to efficiently collect, manipulate and integrate a variety of spatial data such
as geological, structural, surface cover and slope characteristics of an area,
which can be used for hazard zonation. The entire above said layer can well
integrate using GIS and weighted analysis is also helpful to find Landslide
prone area. By the help of GIS we can do risk assessment and can reduce
the losses of life and property.

Site selection for solid waste disposal

Site selection for solid waste disposal for Coimbatore was carried out in
GIS Urban development has brought forth several maladies and suffering to
human kind, besides bringing economic and cultural development in its
fold. Due to pressure of urbanization most of the cities are growing and
sometimes they develop beyond the planned limits. Generally the
unplanned area of the city contains a quarter of the total population where
the spatial information is missing. At present no efficient system is available
for solid waste management in Coimbatore Corporation, though the

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corporation administration now taking a few steps to manage the solid
wastes. In this direction, an attempt has been made to optimize the route
and also finding a favorable site for disposal of solid wastes using GIS & GPS
for Coimbatore Corporation...

GIS in Mapping:

Mapping is a central function of Geographic Information System, which

provides a visual interpretation of data. GIS store data in database and then
represent it visually in a mapped format. People from different professions
use map to communicate. It is not necessary to be a skilled cartographer to
create maps. Google map, Bing map, Yahoo map are the best example for
web based GIS mapping solution.

Transportation Planning:

Location-Allocation
1. Finding a subset of locations from a set of potential or candidate
locations that best serve some existing demand so as minimize some
cost
2. Locate sites to best serve allocated demand

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 3. Application areas are warehouse location, fast food locations, fire
stations, schools

Location-Allocation Inputs
1. Customer or demand locations
2. Potential site locations and/or existing facilities
3. Street network or Euclidean distance.

The best sites

1. The optimal allocation of demand locations to those sites
2. Lots of statistical and summary information about that particular
allocation

Synergy between spatial data and analysis

1. Imagine you are a national retailer
2. You need warehouses to supply your outlets
3. You do not wish the warehouses to be more than 1000 km from any
outlet.

Soil Mapping:

Soil Mapping provides resource information about an area. It helps in

understanding soil suitability for various land use activities. It is essential for
preventing environmental deterioration associated with misuse of land. GIS
Helps to identify soil types in an area and to delineate soil boundaries. It is
used for the identification and classification of soil. Soil map is widely used
by the farmers in developed countries to retain soil nutrients and earn
maximum yield.

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Surveying:

Surveying is the measurement of location of objects on the earth’s surfaces.

Land survey is measuring the distance and angles between different points
on the earth surface. An increasing number of national and governments
and regional organizations are using GNSS measurements. GNSS is used for
topographic surveys where a centimeter level accuracy is provided. These
data can be incorporated in the GIS system. GIS tools can be used to
estimate area and also, digital maps can prepared.

Worldwide Earthquake Information System:

One of the most frightening and destructive phenomena of nature is the

occurrence of an earthquake. There is a need to have knowledge regarding
the trends in earthquake occurrence worldwide. A GIS based user interface
system for querying on earthquake catalogue will be of great help to the
earthquake engineers and seismologists in understanding the behavior
pattern of earthquake in spatial and temporal domain. (A. M. Chandra, S. K.
Ghosh Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System).

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Economic Development:

GIS technology is a valuable tool used for the economic development. It

helps in site selection, suitability analysis, and for finding the right sites to
locate new business and grow existing ones. Within economic
development, GIS is used to support the emerging trend of economic
gardening, a new way to foster local and regional economic growth by
existing small business in the community.( By Ahmed Abukhater,GIS for
Planning and Community Development: Solving Global Challenges)

Locating Underground Pipes and Cables:

Pipe line and cable location is essential for leak detection. It can be used to
understand your water network, conducting repairs and adjustments,
locating leaks known distance for correlating etc. Pipelines are continually
monitored, check for leak detection and avoid the problem of geo hazards.

Reservoir Site Selection:

GIS is used to find a suitable site for the dam. GIS tries to find best location
that respect to natural hazards like earthquake and volcanic eruption. For

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the finding of dam site selection the factors include economic factors, social
considerations, engineering factors and environmental problems. This all
information are layered in the GIS.

Desertification:

Desertification is the land degradation due to climatic variations or human

activities. GIS can provide the information of degraded land which can be
managed by governmental agencies or by the communities themselves. GIS
plays a vital role to reduce the desertification, the local governments are
now widely depends on GIS for reducing desertification. With location
based GIS analysis we can find where or which area is suitable for planting
new vegetation and which area for the pipeline construction.

Pipeline Route Selection:

Pipeline route planning and selection is usually a complex task. GIS

technology is faster, better and more efficient in this complex task.
Accurate pipeline route selection brings about risk and cost reduction as
well as better decision making process. GIS least cost path analysis have
been effectively used to determine suitable oil and gas pipeline routes. An
optimal route will minimize reduce economic loss and negative socio-
environmental impacts.

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Site Suitability for Waste Treatment Plant:

There is an increasing amount of waste due to the over population growth.

This has negative impact on the environment. With the help of GIS we can
integrate various aspect layers in GIS and can identify which place is
suitable for waste treatment plant. This process will reduce the time and it
is cost effective. Also it enhances the accuracy. It provides a GIS analyst to
identify a list of suitable dumping sites for further investigations. It also
provides a digital bank for future monitoring program of the site.

Coastal Development and Management:

The coastal zone represents varied and highly productive ecosystem such
as mangrove, coral reefs, see grasses and sand dunes. GIS could be
generating data required for macro and micro level planning of coastal zone
management. GIS could be used in creating baseline inventory of mapping
and monitoring coastal resources, selecting sites for brackish water
aquaculture, studying coastal land forms.

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Snow Cover Mapping and Runoff Prediction:

Systematic, periodical and precise snow cover mapping supported by GIS

technology, and the organization of the results in a snow cover information
system forms the basis for a wide range of applications. On the practical
side, these applications are related to the monitoring of seasonal and yearly
alterations of the snow cover under the presently existing climatic
conditions, to simulate and forecast runoff, to map the regional distribution
of the water equivalent, and to document the recession process of the
snow cover during the melting period in its relation to geological features.

References
 www.esri.com
 www.wikiepedia.com
 www.cesnitsblog.com

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 http://gis.stackexchange.com/questions/56825/using-gis-in-civil-
engineering-construction-field

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