GIS
What is a GIS?
GIS or Geographic Information Systems are powerful computational tools for managing, analysing, and visualising spatial data and associated attributes. They enable users to examine and process information related to geographical locations, providing a platform for deeper insights into patterns, relationships, and trends.
The key term here is ‘geographical’, which implies that the data (or at least a portion of the data) is spatial. In other words, data that is in some way referenced to locations on the earth. Essentially, a GIS allows for a much more complex analysis than what we typically perceive from a static map.
How it works
The power of GIS comes from its ability to associate data with a physical location and then layer that data in ways that make it easier to understand the connections and relationships between different types of information. In a GIS, geographical data is often categorised into two types:
- Spatial data (or geographic data): This represents the physical location and shape of geographical features. These are often stored as coordinates and topology and can include information on physical locations like rivers, roads, cities, etc.
- Attribute data (or non-geographic data): This is the information appended to the spatial data. It provides more details about the geographical features, like population of a city, name of a river, temperature of a region, etc.
These two types of data work together in a GIS to provide detailed information about a location, allowing users to perform in-depth analysis, visualise trends, and make informed decisions.
Link between GIS and geospatial data
Geospatial data, also known as geographical data, is any information related to a location, an area, or an object that is associated with a position on the Earth’s surface. This could be anything from the exact coordinates of a particular building to the boundaries of a city, to the route of a hiking trail, to the population distribution across a country.
GIS is intrinsically linked to geographical data as it is designed to store, retrieve, manage, display, and analyse all types of spatial or geographic data. It allows you to link on-the-ground situations to a digital database and visualise scenarios for better decision-making. It integrates common database operations, such as query and statistical analysis, with the unique visualisation and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps.
Components
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Hardware:
This refers to the physical devices and materials required to run the GIS software and store the data. This includes computers, servers, network infrastructure, and peripheral devices. Large data sets like LiDAR point clouds require dedicated hardware, available on Cloud Platforms like Amazon, Azure and Google. -
Software:
GIS software allows users to store, analyse, and visualise geographic data. Examples include commercial software like ArcGIS Enterprise, open-source software like QGIS and GeoServer, and web-based platforms like Google Earth. -
Data:
Without geospatial data, a GIS has no functionality. This data can be spatial, referring to the physical space or location, or it can be attribute data, detailing characteristics about the spatial features. Data is stored in Databases like PostgreSQL (with the PostGIS extension), Oracle Spatial, Microsoft SQL Server, Mongo DB, Neo4J and many others. -
People:
GIS requires skilled personnel to operate the system and interpret the results accurately. They might be cartographers, data analysts, spatial statisticians, or developers, among others. -
Methods:
These are the techniques and procedures employed in using a GIS, from data collection and input to analysis and visualisation. Effective GIS operation requires appropriate methods for handling spatial data.
Applications
GIS technology has a vast range of applications across numerous sectors:
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Environmental management:
GIS aids in wildlife habitat assessment, environmental impact analysis, forest management, and tracking and predicting climate change, among other applications. -
Urban planning:
City planners use GIS for zoning, land use planning, visualising urban growth, route planning, and more. -
Public health:
GIS can help track disease outbreaks, plan health services, identify food deserts, and more. It's a powerful tool in epidemiology and public health planning. -
Transportation and logistics:
From route optimisation to fleet management, and from traffic pattern analysis to infrastructure planning, GIS plays a crucial role in the transportation sector. -
Agriculture:
GIS supports precision farming by helping to manage and monitor crop yields, predict weather patterns, and track soil health, among other uses.
Importance
The importance of GIS lies in its ability to transform raw data into valuable insights. By linking data to a physical location and layering different datasets, it allows for advanced analysis and decision-making. This can help drive efficiencies, support planning, improve transparency, and even save lives.
Moreover, GIS is also crucial for its ability to present complex data in an understandable and visually appealing format. Maps created by GIS systems are a powerful communication tool that can be understood by a wide audience.
What can you do with GIS?
The possibilities are virtually limitless:
- Visualise data: Create maps to better understand patterns and relationships between different spatial data.
- Analyse geographic data: Perform complex spatial analyses, such as overlaying data layers, determining proximity, calculating areas, and more.
- Manage data: Store and organise vast amounts of geographic data in a systematic and accessible way.
- Predict trends: Use past data to predict future trends or patterns, such as the potential spread of a wildfire or the growth of urban areas.
- Make informed decisions: Use the insights gained from GIS analysis to make informed decisions in a wide range of fields.
In conclusion
A Geographic Information System (GIS) and geospatial (or geographical) data are inseparably linked. The GIS acts as a tool that manipulates geospatial data to create digital maps, perform spatial analysis, and provide insights that help in decision-making. Given the vast application, a solid understanding of the system is vital in numerous fields, from urban planning to environmental science and beyond.
GIS is a powerful, multifaceted tool that plays a vital role in our understanding of the world around us. As our societies become more complex and data-driven, its importance and potential only continues to grow.
