exam

Question 1

What is a GIS

Answer 1

a computer based mapping, analysis, visualisation and retrieval tool for locatioon-based data

Question 2

What is a disctrete object view

Answer 2

(Vector). made up of a series of objects each having a fixed location (point) or a fixed starting and stopping point (line)or some sort of fixed boundary (polygon)

Question 3

What is a continuous field view

Answer 3

raster. urface made up of infinite set of points- not everything has a fixed boundary or is an object

Question 4

What are examples of software for vector and raster

Answer 4

vector=arc gis
raster=catalyst

Question 5

what are the three discrete view options

Answer 5

Points,lines,polygons

Question 6

what is a digitising technique

Answer 6

tracking, sketching over top of areas on a map

Question 7

what is topology

Answer 7

objects connected to one another independent of their coordinates

Question 8

What are the four forms of attribute data and describe them

Answer 8

Nominal data- unique identifiers( eg home adress, phone#, language)
Ordinal- ranking system (education level)
Interval data- differences between numbers is significant but there is no fixed zero point (temp)
Ratio data- Includes values along with fixed and non-arbitary zero point(household income)

Question 9

what is spatial analysis

Answer 9

Spatial analysis refers to studying entities by examining, assessing, evaluating, and modeling spatial data features such as locations, attributes, and relationships that reveal data’s geometric or geographic properties.

Question 10

What are the three issues of spatial analysis

Answer 10

patterns and process, simple and complex and accuracy/reliability

Question 11

what are the issues of pattern and processes in GIS

Answer 11

• Gis often only supports the storage of things as patterns
  
  • These are often presented/modelled as “processes” but the cartographic representation usually relies on a series of simple snapshots taken at different points in time
    Example is urban expansion, forest fire spread, coastal erosion

Question 12

what are the issues of simple/complex in GIS

Answer 12

Simple analysis- refers to activites involving interpretation or comparisons. E.g. comparing two datasets, combining forest type data set with soils characteristic data set. Or using a buffer operation to identify a potential bus route.
Complex analysis- refers to geostatistical analysis and processing modelling. E.g monte carlo simulations to predict stochastic distributions of soil pH values, fuzzy set theories for assessing vegetation boundaries.

Question 13

what are the issues of accuracy/reliability in GIS

Answer 13

Accuracy- the degree of correspondence between the data and the actual thing or event
Reliability- indicates how consistent the data is for certain types of applications.
Data could be highly accurate nut because of the time between its collection and its analysis, it may no longer be reliable
Reliable data may have low accuracy (very current satellite data may be useful for mapping forested areas but not useful for separating tree species)

Question 14

what is a data query

Answer 14

finding areas or locations that meet a particular criteria. e.g find all apartment buildings >100k annual income
attribute table is used to identify such objects

Question 15

what is the buffer tool

Answer 15

• A polygon of spatial proximity built around a feature
  
  • Can be created from points, lines or polygons
  • E.g., 500m buffer around methadone clinics to examine crime activity
    E.g., 40m vegetative cover on slopes along a river

Question 16

what is the dissolver tool

Answer 16

• Boundaries between adjacent polygons that have the same property are removed (merged into a larger polygon)

Question 17

what is a spatial query

Answer 17

involves selecting records or objects from one layer based on their spatial relationships with another

Question 18

what is the summarise operation tool

Answer 18

allows for statistical (sum, mean, side) of objects that fall within the boundaries of polygon object

Question 19

what is the data enrichment operations tool

Answer 19

calculates demographic information of nearby areas, creates new boundaries, could use pop density or % of residents that have degree and creates a new layer from an older layer

Question 20

what are overlay operations

Answer 20

superimposes multiple data sets (representing different themes) together for the purpose of identifying relationships between them

Question 21

what are the 4 widely used overlay operations

Answer 21

Intersect- only retain areas that overlap both.
Identity- retain all feature of an input layer and all features of a second layer that interact
symmetrical difference- retain all areas of two layers that do not intersect
Union- all features from 2 layers combined together into a new layer.

Question 22

suitability analysis

Answer 22

a system whereby locations are ranked according to how well they fit a set of criteria

Question 23

what is cartography

Answer 23

the art and science of map making

Question 24

what is geographic scale

Answer 24

real world size or extent of an area

Question 25

what is map scale

Answer 25

is a metric used to determine the relationship between measurements made on a map and their real world equivalents

Question 26

what are the three main scales

Answer 26

ratio, verbal and visual

Question 27

what's the difference between a small scale and large scale map

Answer 27

a small scale shows more area than a large scale

Question 28

what is a colours value

Answer 28

value is the different degrees of darkness or lightness of a specific colour. High values are light and low is dark

Question 29

what is a colours hue

Answer 29

what normally refered to as a colour, which is the distinction between blue, brown, yellow, red. Can have cultural significance

Question 30

what is a colours saturation

Answer 30

the purity or intensity of the hue. The "colourfulness" of the hue extent to which a colour deviates from a Gray of the same value

Question 31

what are the 9 considerations when choosing colours

Answer 31

As a clarifying and simplifying element. Attraction and attention Colour preference. Colour association and connotations. Audience. viewing the map (printed on paper or projected) nature of the data-qualitative data. Nature of the data-quantitative data. Colour interactions Black and white

Question 32

what is clarity

Answer 32

emphasising the important points and avoiding anything else that may distract from them

Question 33

What is order in a map

Answer 33

it is the logic of a map. The path of the readers eye

Question 34

Balance

Answer 34

Every element on the map has visual weight and are distributed above the optical centre.

Question 35

where is the optical centre

Answer 35

slightly above the true centre

Question 36

what is contrast

Answer 36

The difference between light and dark, thick and thin heavy and light

Question 37

what is unity and harmony

Answer 37

interrelationships between map elements

Question 38

what is a neat line and a frame

Answer 38

is a line that frames and seperates the map from other information. a Frame is a border around the entire map

Question 39

What are the three aspects to lettering on maps

Answer 39

text wording, label placement, type selection

Question 40

how should the writing be wrote on water features, rivers, large water bodies and linear features

Answer 40

water features- italics rivers, name in set blocks(not spread out letters italics in direction of flow and at intervals large water bodies- lakes and seas should have name totally within feature Linear features (roads) same as river no italics

Question 41

different between regional names and names of mountains

Answer 41

normally spread out to cover the extent of the area and are curved in the shape Name of mountains- like names of regions may need repeat at intervals

Question 42

what is remote sensing

Answer 42

normally spread out to cover the extent of the area and are curved in the shape Name of mountains- like names of regions may need repeat at interva

Question 43

what is a passive sensor

Answer 43

measure energy that is naturally available

Question 44

Active sensor

Answer 44

provide their own source of energy to bath the target from above