Course title: Advanced

Geographic Information
System (GIS-II)
Chapter 1:GIS and Related Concept
Representing GIS Data, GIS Data Sources and GIS
Data Structure
 I. Representing GIS Data
How do we describe geographical features?

• by recognizing two types of data:

– Spatial data which describes location (where)

– Attribute data which specifies characteristics at that location

(what, how much, and when)

How do we represent these digitally in a GIS?

• by grouping into layers based on similar characteristics (e.g

elevation, water lines, sewer lines) and using either:

– vector data model (coverage in shapefile)

– raster data model (GRID or Image )

 II. GIS Data Sources
• Maps and Drawings • GIS Data Bases
– digitizing, or – conversion between
– scanning than raster to vector
conversion proprietary standards
• Aerial Photographs .Attribute Databases
– photogrammetry/photo interpretation
to extract features
– conversion between
– digitizing or scanning to convert to geographic units
digital (e.g. zip codes and
• Satellite Imagery
census tracts)
– rectification and DTM to create
digital orthos (if desired) – conversion between
• CAD Data Bases different databases
– translator software (pre-existing or • Records and Documents
custom-written) needed to convert
to required GIS format – scanning
 Primary data
• First-Hand (Primary) data are those collected
directly in digital format specifically for GIS
use.
• Some of the data in a spatial database may
have been measured directly, by field sampling
, GPS or remote sensing.
• Primary data collection is necessary when a
researcher cannot find the data needed in
secondary sources.

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Some of primary data in GIS includes
those data gathered from:
Satellite images,
GPS,
Survey data (ground) and
Aerial photographs
 Primary data source
Some sources of primary data include:
• Satellite Imagery
-Satellite images are images taken by
sensors mounted on artificial satellites.
- Satellite images plays an important role in
data sources
-Imagery data are very common input
layers to a GIS.
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Satellite Image 7
 Cont..d

Examples of commercial satellites include:

• LANDSAT (from NASA) - The newest satellite
LANDSAT 7 was launched on April 15, 1999. It
provides panchromatic (black and white) and
multispectral images with a resolution of 15 m.
• SPOT (from Spot Image) -the newest satellite SPOT 5
was launched on May 4, 2002. It provides
panchromatic images with a resolution of 2.5 m, and
multispectral images with a resolution of 10 m.
 Cont..d
• QuickBird (from Digital Globe) -the lone satellite
was launched on Oct. 18, 2001. It provides
panchromatic images with a resolution of 60 cm, and
multispectral images with a resolution of 2.4 m.
• IKONOS -the newest satellite was launched in 2003.
It provides panchromatic images with a resolution of
1m, and multispectral images with a resolution of 4 m.
 …cont
• GPS data
- A GPS unit being used for control surveying at
extremely high precision
- Used for direct integration into GIS
- GPS unit work in conjunction with software
(including GIS) to display GPS location
directly onto map

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GPS surveying
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 …cont

• Survey data (ground)

-Survey data can be directly entered into a GIS
from digital data collection systems on survey
instruments.
- It is a very time-consuming and expensive
activity, but it is still the best way to obtain
highly accurate point locations
- Ground surveys are a good source of accurate
vector data such as property boundaries and
street centred lines
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 …cont
• Aerial photographs
-Aerial photographs are photographs taken by
airborne cameras

While ground surveys and GPS are designed

mainly for vector data collection, aerial
photographs and satellite images are sources
of raster data

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 Secondary Data Sources
• Are those found in published sources, such as
official statistics, maps and aerial photographs,
or are gathered by some agency other than
you.
• Second-Hand (Secondary) data: are digital and
analogue datasets that were originally captured
in another format.
• Secondary data are data derived by processing
primary data or other secondary data.
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 …cont
• Secondary data acquisition refers to the
process of converting existing maps or other
documents into a suitable digital form.
• We will need to convert (by scanning or
digitizing) the original format of data into
digital GIS data formats.

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 …cont
• It is far cheaper to collect secondary data
than to obtain primary data.
• The time involved in searching secondary
sources is much less than that needed to
complete primary data collection.
• Secondary data can be extremely useful both
in defining the population and in structuring
the sample to be tak

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 …cont
Some sources of Secondary data
includes:
Digitized Paper Maps
Scanned and Processed Images

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 …cont
 Digitized Paper Maps

• There are two kinds of digitizing

A) Table digitizing- in which one fixes a
paper map on a digitizing table and traces
each cartographic object using a
digitizing puck
B) Heads-up or on-screen digitizing- in
which one sees a scanned map on a
computer screen and traces each
cartographic object using a mouse
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Digitizing Table

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 …cont
Scanned and Processed Images
• Photographs may be scanned to use them for-
input for further processing (e.g.
orthorectifying, head-up digitizing, surface
interpolation, object extractions)

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Scanning maps or images

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 …cont
• Generally, some data may have been obtained
from existing maps, tables, or other databases
such sources are termed secondary.

• Maps of various scales, sizes, formats and time

periods representing different features-like
soil, geology, cities, contours, and elevation,
cadastres etc are major sources for the GIS
data base.
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 III.GIS Data Structure
The spatial distribution of points, lines, polygons or
surfaces is represented in digital form in two basic
types of spatial data models:
a) Vector data model
b) Raster data model

a) Vector data model b) Raster data model

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 a. Vector Based Model:

In this model the geographical events are

represented by three basic entities along with
their attributes.
– By Point – no. of population, no. of school,
no. of houses, tree etc.
– By Line – Road – Type of road, road name
etc.
– By Area – Land use – class, soil type etc.

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i. Point Features:
feature
• A zero-dimensional abstraction of an object represented by a
single X,Y co-ordinate.
ii. Line Features:
A set of ordered co-ordinates that represent the shape of
geographic features too narrow to be displayed as an area at the
given scale (contours, street centre lines, or streams)
iii. Area feature:
An area feature is commonly referred to as a polygon.
Examples of polygonal data include forest stands, soil
classification areas, administrative boundaries, and climate zones

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 B. Raster Based Model:
• Raster based spatial models regard space as a combination
(resembled mosaic) of cells, each of which is associated with a
record of classification or identity of the phenomena that occupies it.

• The raster model represents the 2D location of phenomena as a

matrix of grid cell.

• Since the cells are of fixed size and location, raster tend to represent
natural and human made objects in a blocky fashion.

• The information content in one cell depends upon the size of the
cell. If the cells are sufficiently small, the information present in one
cell will be more. This is called resolution of the image.
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Fig: 4 a Fig: 4 b

Fig: 4 c

274 d
Fig:
 The Choice between Raster and Vector Models

• The choice between raster and vector based model depend upon the type of
data analysis and other operations to be carried out for a project.

• However, there is always scope to convert one form to other. i.e., raster to
vector or vector to raster

• Raster method for spatial data structure requires large memory space as
compared to vector data.

• Certain kinds of data manipulation such as polygon intersection, union,

clipping, merging etc. are complex in raster data model as compared to
vector.

• However, multi-theme overlay operations are more easy in raster data model.
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 Thank you

07/02/2025 By:Mikir K. 29