Week 1: Course overview + Applications of GIS

Question 1

GISystem is

Answer 1

A platform for storing, managing, analysing spatial data (the tool)

Question 2

GIScience is

Answer 2

The discipline/field of using spatial data analysis and visualisation techniques to solve problems (the toolkit)

Question 3

Geospatial science is

Answer 3

Measurement, management, analysis and presentation of spatial data in order to understand processes in the natural and built environments

Question 4

As geospatial scientists, we use the GIS to help address

Answer 4

Society’s challenges

Question 5

Why is GIS important

Answer 5

1. Most human and natural challenges
2. It is a multi-billion dollar industry, underpinning local and national government, private industry, conservation sciences and research
3. It is where surveying data go to be contextualized with analysis and visualization
4. It brings us closer to representing the complexities of the real world in a computer system
5. (bonus) Disaster response, I.e information in the aftermath of cyclone gabrielle

Question 6

Steps to GIS

Answer 6

1. Collect data
2. Ensure data interoperability
3. Analyse data
4. Visualise and share data

Question 7

GIS data provides

Answer 7

1. Actionable information for decisionmakers
2. Learn from the past to prepare for the future

Question 8

Course objectives

Answer 8

1. Understand the world as represented by raster and vector data, and seen by a computer
2. Use analysis to answer geographic questions and visualisation to communicate those answers
3. Pick the right GIS for the right job; “GIS” is actually a myriad of applications and platforms
4. Spatial data can be BIG, 3D, change through time. They can be personal or shared and accessed almost anywhere

Question 9

Ai is changing the world, but

Answer 9

How and to what extent is not particularly clear

Question 10

Map scale is foundational to

Answer 10

What spatial data can be used for

Question 11

The development of the GIS coincided with the devlopment of

Answer 11

The vector and raster data models stored in a computer

Question 12

Vector components

Answer 12

Points, lines and polygons

Question 13

Raster components

Answer 13

Grids, images

Question 14

Vector lend itself to capturing

Answer 14

Discrete geographic features in the computer

Question 15

Vector can describe features with precise

Answer 15

Coordinates (e.g roads, buildings, property boundaries)

Question 16

Raster lend itself to capturing

Answer 16

Continuous phenomenon in the computer

Question 17

Raster can describe whole

Answer 17

Geographic space (e.g temperature, elevation

Question 18

Where is GIS headed

Answer 18

1. Virtual reality
2. Augmentated reality
3. Services
4. AI

Question 19

AIs are built by

Answer 19

Fallible people and trained on data made by us (we are also fallable)

Question 20

AI is really an umbrella term for

Answer 20

Using software programming to find answers to questions more efficiently than we can do on our own (make the machines do the hard work)

Question 21

AI is biased, useful and good at sounding correct. True or False?

Answer 21

True

Question 22

GenAI does not ‘know’ facts, it just

Answer 22

Predicts text, so often hallucinates with objective information

Question 23

The field of GIScience has used ________ for quite some time

Answer 23

Machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithms

Question 24

The use of machine learning for processing large datasets is

Answer 24

Common

Question 25

Spatial data are complex, however, and more complex than

Answer 25

Non spatial data for training and prediction

Question 26

Components of topographic mapping

Answer 26

1. Implementation of vector GIS 2. Multiple map layers = multiple data layers 3. Scale 4. Projection 5. Geovisualisation 6. Paper map vs digital map

Question 27

As geospatial professionals, its your job to:

Answer 27

1. Use the appropriate tool for the job 2. Assess uncertainty 3. Encourage appropriate use of results of spatial analysis 4. Bonus: be curious, be skeptical