Geographic
Information
Systems
ASM215
April 2010
Larry Theller
Schedule
• Wednesday
– GIS lecture
– Demo of homework
• Lab – April 22
• Meet in ABE room 106a (past vending
machines on left)
GIS Lecture today
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History
Software details
Current GIS uses
Hot GIS trends
Tomorrows lab
GIS Evolution
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Map viewing < Map Analysis
Past: map layers = little files
Now: map layers = huge databases
Terabytes of images
Streaming GIS data = music on the web
Web-based tools not installed on your
computer
Geographic Information
Systems
• “Mapping” is inventory and presentation of
spatial data.
• GIS means “Geographical Information
System”
– its called that because there is information
behind the map.
– You “ask questions” of the data or the map
GIS is not GPS
GPS or
Global Positioning
Satellites – are a
cloud of satellites
that tell tracking
devices where they
are. These locations
are often used in a
GIS.
Trimble and ESRI
GIS vs CAD
• Difference between CAD and GIS:
– you ask questions in GIS
• Three levels of GIS applications:
– Inventory (What is there?)
– Analysis (Answering questions)
– Modeling (Making predictions)
CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design
A GIS is a
software
system that
connects map
layers with
tables of
information.
Tabular Data
Image: ESRI course Learning ArcGIS Desktop 2007
GIS and the internet
• GIS Users quickly adopted the internet for
download of large files
• With satellite-sensors and digital camera
the files soon became gigantic
• Not efficient to copy to every PC in Indiana
A GIS
originally
was software
installed on a
computer
and using
local files as
layers with
attached
tables of
information.
The map layer
shows one
building
“selected” and
the table has
one row with
information
about that
item.
This map is
drawing data
from two
streaming
data sources
on the web
and from files
on the hard
drive.
Named streets and property parcel lines
from the Tippecanoe County GIS server
These high-resolution aerial photos
use 8 terabytes of storage at IU,
which is why you do not want to
download files anymore
Your first GIS project outside this class will probably
include anonymous layers and undocumented text files.
You will need some program to look at and perhaps
label these data.
Don’t Download that image
• If you don’t need to change it, maybe you
don’t need to download it
• If you need to change it, edit it or clip out
parts, you need to have your own copy.
• Aerial Photos – Indiana 2005 photos are:
– 8500 gigabyes
– Or 2000 DVD’s
– Sure you want to download that?
Streaming High-resolution images
GIS software on your desktop
• ESRI ArcGIS (ArcMap, ArcCatalog)
• Other Commercial : ThinkMap, Autodesk,
MapInfo
• Commercial but free Viewers:
– Google Earth
– ArcGIS Explorer
• Open Source GIS:
– uDIG (user-friendly Desktop Internet GIS)
ESRI ArcGIS
uDIG Open Source GIS
uDIG – free and web-oriented
Labels
Scale Bar
Streaming data;
databases,
tables,
shapefiles
Legend
uDIG – free and web-oriented
The GIS program is the viewer and editor, and relies upon the
database to be the complicated toolbox
Data = streaming, database,
shapefiles
PostGIS is database GIS tool
Commercial GIS viewers
• Google Earth
• ArcGIS Explorer
– Collect specific streams of data from the
company
– Can be expanded to use other data
Online Models
• Data comes from databases and map layers
on the server
• Inputs are simplified for user
• Results may be map-based or downloaded
table and reports
• Models flow data into next step
L-THIA Watershed delineation and analysis model,
displays over Google Maps ™ with streaming data sets.
Location Business Services
• Target marketing geographically
–Cell phone yellow pages
• Google and Mapquest,
–Spots on the map
• eBay
–Nearby items
Location Business Services:
The geo fence
• You know when a vehicle passes into or
out of a zone.
• Monitor deliveries, service staff,
employees, felons, ambulances, pizza
delivery guy..
– http://gis2.esri.com/showcase/showcase.cf
m
– http://tuxedo.esri.com/geofence/
Personal
Location
Services
Download
topomaps
and
landmarks to
a handheld
GPS
For others, jog across the web…
A runner
logs 10
miles in
Central
Park, and
uploads
his path for
others.
from /run
Location Services:
• Parents use GPS to track their kids PHONES:
• "Disney Mobile will roll out a family plan of cell phones
that offer features fashioned for the 11- to 15-year-old
set, coupled with a generous helping of parental
controls…
• Family Locator -- a tool that pinpoints the phone's
position using GPS ... allows a parent to get the location
of his or her child's handset by entering a self-selected
PIN into a Web site or a phone. "
http://www.mobile-tech-today.com/news/Meet-the-Cell-Phone-Tracking-Parents/story.xhtml?story_id=011000DGX45F
Location Services:
• Parents use GPS to track their kids cars:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5725196
– "For example, says Alltrack's Mark Allbaugh,
when a teen driver is speeding, parents can
remotely flash the car's light or honk the horn,
until the teen slows down. "
The Lab Exercise
• Indiana Sex Offenders Registry
• Indiana Map – an online map
• Google Earth, around the world.
Active
Layer
Dropdown
Menus
Identify
Layer
Menus
Zoom in to Brazil, Indiana and answer
questions.
Click the identify
button, then the
map, for data about
the “Active Layer.”
A floating pop-up
appears with the
data.
THE END
• See you tomorrow
• Room 106A in ABE building.