What is GIS?

 A technology
hardware & software tools

 An information handling strategy

 The objective: to improve overall

decision making

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GIS: a formal definition
“A system for capturing, storing, checking,
integrating, manipulating, analysing and
displaying data which are spatially
referenced to the Earth. This is normally
considered to involve a spatially
referenced computer database and
appropriate applications software”

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GIS concepts are not new!
 London cholera epidemic 1854

Soho

+ Cholera death
Water pump

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GIS: historical background
This technology has developed from:
Digital cartography and CAD
Data Base Management Systems

ID X,Y ID ATTRIB
1 1 1
2 2
2 3 3
3

CAD System Data Base Management System

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 Digital
Mapping

Computer
Photo-
Aided
grammetry
Design

GIS

Databases Surveying

Remote
Sensing

Cross-disciplinary nature of GIS

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GIS components

Spatial
data

GIS
Computer hardware /
software tools
?
Specific applications /
decision making objectives

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 THERE ARE SIX MAJOR GIS
SOFTWARE PROVIDERS:
Autodesk -offers Autodesk
 ESRI -offers ArcInfo/ArcView
Geographic Research Inc - offers Simply
Map
 Intergraph - offers GeoMedia
 Manifold Systems -offers Manifold Enterprise
Edition.
 MapInfo - offers MapInfo

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 TARGET A NUMBER OF
MARKETS
Education
Manufacturing
Shipping
 retailing
 security
telecommunication

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 MOST SALES TO LIBRARIES HAVE BEEN MADE BY VENDORS
THAT ARE VALUE ADDED RETAILERS FOR THESE SIX
COMPANIES.

value added includes:

consulting to libraries,
databases of particular use to libraries,
training, and
the alternative of hosted service.

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 COSTS
Hardware and system software
single desktop workstation -$3,500.
A server and five desktop workstations -
$18,000.

Applications software ranges -$395 to tens-

of-thousands of dollars.

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 AVAILABILITY OF DATA
• In U.S., data is available from U.S. Census Bureau
– Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and
Referencing
System (TIGER) - since 1990
• U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps in Digital
Line
Graph and Digital Raster Graphics formats.
• State and local governments (parcel maps, etc)
• Private vendors (GDT, BLR, Claritas)

offers a 12-disk package at $1,695 for the country or $795 for a

single state.
1970, 1980, and 1990 censuses -$2,995 for the country and $1,495
for a single state. The latter product includes software for
converting data from previous census to the 2000 boundaries so
that an apples-to-apples comparison can be made.
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 Staffing for GIS is a challenge.
It takes the assistance of a well trained technician to
GIS training is offered by many community colleges and
universities. It is also available online. The largest online
program is operated by ESRI, the dominant vendor in the
GIS software market.
It then presents six modules:
· Understanding imagery and image
analysis
· Accessing and displaying image data
· Rectifying and “mosaicing” images
· Extracting and classifying features
· Image analysis
· Applying the image analysis extensions

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GIS training represents six modules-
 Understanding imaginary and image
analysis.
 Accessing and displaying image data.
 Rectifying and “mosaicing” images.
 Extracting and classifying images.
 Image analysis.
 Applying the image analysis extension.

 The training course is only the beginning of

the learning.
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 Coordinating with local government

 Many local governments, both municipal and

county, have GIS programs. Public libraries
should coordinates their efforts with any that may
be underway in their jurisdictions.

 Sources of information

 www.gis.com- This site is sponsored by ESRI,

largest vendor of GIS software company.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIS- It has a very
good 22 pages articles on GIS, its history and
software programs, etc.
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 www.gisportal.com- It organizes more then
1000 websites which deals with GIS into
broad categories including governmental
websites.
 www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/goshome.html- The
university of Edinburgh’s department of
geography and the association of geographic
information (UK) have created an alphabetic
index of useful GIS websites including this
website.
 Some other important sources are state
library agencies and local colleges and
universities.
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