Week 1 Flashcards
What is a GIS
a digital system for the acquisition, management, analysis and visualisation of spatial information
Difference between GIS definition and broader definition
GIS definiton- integrates hardware, software and data for capturing, managing, analysing geographically referenced information
Broader- more than just computer software + data, software, hardware, data, people, institutions, activities, procedures (decision support system)
Broader definition of GIS diagram
Network
people, hardware, procedures, data, software, hardware
Why is GIs important
Everything has a spatial location- all problems come with a spatial location. These problems are impossible to solve by hand- especially when data sets are large, spatial analysis requires specialized tools
What are the 2 cases of GiS definitions and what is the difference + examples
Normative- practical or decision making/ design applications - where to site nuclear power plant
Positive- discovery or the advancement of science - where is global warming having the greatest impact
5 questions that GIS can address
location, pattern, trends, conditions, implications
When and where was the first GIS, what was it
Canada- mid 1960s- it was a computerised map measuring system - major advances in calculating area
How did GIS further develop after the first GIS
second burst of innovation- dual independent map encoding (DIME) - developed by US bureau census (1970)
Lead to: more efficient digital representation of streets –> technological advance
Lead to odyssey software
When was the fist digital map
1973
What is the GIS architecture diagram
User interface–> tools –> data management–> data
presentation–> business logic–> data server
This is the flow from initial data to the calculation of distance/ area and storing and managing data
What are the different architecture types
Desktop
Client server
Desktop sharing files (centralised desktop)
Centralised server
