Geographic Information Systems

Lesson 3: Working with Data – Planning,

Capture, Manage and Display data
 Lesson Objectives
By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to:
• Understand the basic concepts of how a GIS is applied when working with data
• Understand the steps in planning a GIS project which includes:
✓ Problem statement or geographic question
✓ Analyse data requirements and identify data
✓ Organise the data
✓ Analyse the data using spatial analysis techniques
✓ Interpretation of the results
✓ Present the results / data output
• Understand what is meant by data capturing and discuss the different ways in which data can be
obtained for a GIS project. These include:
✓ Keyboard entry
✓ Digitising
✓ Map Scanning
✓ Satellite imagery
✓ Field data collection
✓ Converting existing data
• Understand the data management task conducted on GIS
✓ Data Security
✓ Data Storage
✓ Data Integration
✓ Data Manipulation
✓ Data Sharing
Geographic inquiry process

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data capturing

• Keyboard entry
➢ Capturing non – spatial data into a database onto a computer

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data capturing

• Digitising
➢ Capturing the coordinates of a feature on an existing map
as a new set of features

Video:
Basic
digitising

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data capturing

• Map scanning
➢ Scanning features as new raster format

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data capturing

• Satellite imagery
➢Images captured from sensors on a satellite

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data capturing

• Field data collection

➢Collecting coordinates of features of interest in
the field using mobile devices such as a GPS

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data capturing

• Translation/Conversion of existing data

obtained from other sources

Lesson 3: Working with Data

Geographic inquiry process
1.
Problem statement/
Geographic question

6. 2.
Presenting Analyse
the results requirements
and identify
data

3.
5.
Organise data
Interpretation
of Results
4.
Analyse the data using
Spatial Analysis
techniques

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data management

Data Security

Data Sharing Data Storage

Data
Management

Data Data
Manipulation Integration

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data security
• GIS ACCOMODATES ALLOWED USERS
• Not available to the public
• Confidential information

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data storage

• Data saved onto a computer to be used at a later stage

• In a GIS they are stored in Raster or Vector

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data integration
So where can I plant sunflowers?
Rainfall Temperature Soil

+ + +
Clay % < 10% and soil depth < 750mm / No

Clay % > 10% and soil depth > 750mm / Yes

= No Sunflowers
slope > 8% / No
Yes!
slope < 8% / Yes
 Data manipulation
Changing colours of the areas to indicate a Yes or No condition

Lesson 3: Working with Data

 Data sharing

Wealth of knowledge shared through different mediums, via:

• Internet (emails, blogs,ArcGIS, social media, websites)

• Server within an organisation

• Portable memory discs, hard drives, CD’s, DVD’s, USB’s

Activity 1:
Data
integration
& data
display

Lesson 3: Working with Data