INTRODUCTION TO GIS

(Geol. 655)

Dr. Muhammad Ali

Assistant Professor (GIS, Remote Sensing)
National Centre of Excellence in Geology (NCEG)
University of Peshawar

Email: aliumarzai@uop.edu.pk
http://nceg.uop.edu.pk/faculty.php?uname=mali
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Muhammad_Ali106
https://www.linkedin.com/in/muhammad-ali-ba008967
The Life of Human Beings is closely bound up with;

 Features
 Processes (Natural & Man-made)
 Weather
 Circumstances
 Variations and Distributions

Need for Info (get info using computers and other advanced gadgets)

 Real world phenomena in a computer/digital system

 Integration of Spatial Information for general understanding

 GIS
• Geographic?
– Reality
– Spatial location, scale, and time

• Information?
– Data and meaning of data
– Collections of facts, knowledge base, personal or collective value

• Systems?
– Computers and methods
– Physical and conceptual entities or networks

• Science?
– Knowledge, System of Knowledge
 What is GIS……?????
Cower (1988) defines GIS as “a decision support system
involving the integration of spatially referenced data in a
problem solving environment”.

According to Aronoff (1989) defines GIS as

"a computer-based system that provides four sets of capabilities to handle
georeferenced data:
i) Data input
ii) Data management (data storage and retrieval)
iii) Manipulation and analysis
iv) Data output
What is GIS (Aronoff, 1993)

“A system for the input, management, analysis and output

of spatial data Information”

A GIS usually contains:

A computer based system allow data entry, analysis, Presentation
of Geographically referenced data
 INPUT
Data from
Maps
Tabular Geographic Information System
OUTPUT
Data Maps

Field Data
Data Base Management System Statistics
Other Collection Storage, Manipulation
Output
database & Input Retrieval & Analysis
Reports

A Other
B database

D
Remote
Sensing Decision makers
GIS stores related map features as separate map themes

Land Use
Spatial
Soil Overlay

Roads
Combined Themes
Rivers

Buildings
Advantage:
e.g. Integration of data
The beauty of GIS from different sources
(Layer by layer analysis) to a single Georeferenced
Platform for spatial analysis.
 Modeling the real word
Geological process

Computer representation
Surveys (GIS)
Paper Maps
Air Photos
Satellite images Geo-objects Model

Real world Simulation world

John Snow's 1855 map of the cholera outbreak showing the clusters of
cholera cases in the London epidemic of 1854
 History of development (GIS)
About 35,000 years ago, on the walls of caves near Lascaux, France, hunters drew pictures of the animals they hunted.
Associated with the animal drawings are track lines and tallies thought to depict migration routes
(an image associated with attribute information represented the two-element structure of modern geographic
information systems)

Geographic Explorations…..
The early explorers searched for new lands-people-resources
Set the Foundations to use new and advanced tools to investigate the spatial & temporal distribution of
people , plants, animals and natural resources
Explore-Map-Monitor

In 1854 John Snow depicted a cholera outbreak in London using points to represent the locations of some individual
cases (Possibly the earliest use of the geographic method). His study of the distribution of cholera led to the source of
the disease, a contaminated water pump within the heart of the cholera outbreak. John Snow map was unique, using
cartographic methods, not only to depict but also to analyze, clusters of geographically dependent phenomena for the
first time.

The early 20th century saw the development of "photo lithography" where maps were separated into layers.
The year 1962 saw the development of the world's first true operational GIS in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada,
by the federal Department of Forestry and Rural Development.

Dr. Roger Tomlinson was the person who developed this programme, it was called the "Canada
Geographic Information System" (CGIS) and was used to store, analyze, and manipulate data
collected for the Canada Land Inventory (CLI)
— an initiative to determine the land capability for rural Canada by mapping information about soils,
agriculture, recreation, wildlife, waterfowl, forestry, and land use at a scale of 1:50,000—

CGIS was the world's first "system" and was an improvement over "mapping" applications as it
provided capabilities for overlay, measurement, and digitizing / scanning. As a result of this,
Tomlinson has become known as the "father of GIS," particularly for his use of overlays in promoting
the spatial analysis of convergent geographic data.
1964 - Howard T Fisher formed the Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis at the
Harvard Graduate School of Design (LCGSA 1965-1991), where a number of important theoretical
concepts in spatial data handling were developed,

By the early 1980s, M&S Computing (Presently Intergraph) and Environmental Systems Research

Institute (ESRI) emerged as commercial vendors of GIS software.

Successfully incorporating many of the CGIS features, e.g.

 combining the first generation approach i.e. to separation of spatial and attribute information

 with a second generation approach to i.e. organizing attribute data into database structures
 Evolution of GIS
 Revolution in information Technology

o Computer Technology
o Remote Sensing
o Global Positioning System (GPS)
o Communication Technology, IT, Networking

 Rapidly declining costs of computers

 Enhanced functionality of Software

 Why GIS?
Imagine the early 1960s……
You are part of a team working on the development of natural resources for a large
country.
Tasks:
• Evaluate how these resources are exploited?
• Short supply resources & abundant resources?
• How these resources changed over time?
• How these resources will change over next 10, 20, 50 or 100 years?
• Sustainable planning (sufficient supply for future)
• Need to develop a plan to manage these resources
Requirement:
Huge amount of data, storage compilation, evaluation,
analysis, monitoring and modelling

Solution:
Map, Techniques, Machines/computation, Programs/software,
infrastructure, Standards
 GIS is important due to the following major Characteristics ;

 80% of the information includes some geographical facts in the decision making
process.
 The unique ability of GIS is to assimilate data from different divergent sources into one data
system (spatial or non-spatial data.
 Sharing & transferring of data through world wide.
 Due to advancement in technology, its function are gradually changing from data collection and
analysis to the promotion of visualization, incorporating a variety of existing data sources new
techniques such as simulation models, multimedia and video.
 Analytical capabilities in a spatial context
QUESTIONS GIS CAN ANSWER
• GIS technology can be incorporated
into every aspect of life.
• Its boundaries are limitless.

• There are certain basic

questions that GIS can help to answer
and these questions are . . .
Aspatial questions

 What is the %age of matric result this year

 How many students are there in GIS class

These are aspatial questions

The answer does not require the stored Lat/Lon

 Spatial questions

 What is the shortest route from Haji camp to Kohat bus stand

 What is the distribution of canals in Peshawar

 How many schools are there within the 5 km buffer zone of Peshawar Airport.

All these are spatial questions that can only be answered

using lat/lon
Thus ………..

GIS is not simply a computer system for making maps (although maps on different
scale with different projection are created in different colors.

GIS provides a truly analytical tools

The major advantage of GIS technology is that it facilitates identification of spatial

relationship between map features.
LOCATION : WHAT IS AT…?

The first of these questions seeks to find what exists at a

particular location.

For instance:

A location can be described in many ways

1- as a POINT, LINE, AREA, Polygon
2- by Place name (i.e., street address, city, country, Post code or
ZIP code etc. )
3-Geographic coordinates, such as UTM, longitude/latitude or x
and y coordinates .
Users can locate a specific address or property owner.

Who owns this land?

Name: Akram
Plot no.: 20
Size : 25acrs
………
………
………
CONDITION
WHERE IS IT….?

The second question is the converse of the first and requires

spatial data to answer., one may wish to find locations where
certain conditions are satisfied

A GIS can determine where certain events occur or locate

features that have specific attributes.

For instance, a GIS can be used to determine which properties

are located within a 100 –years floodplain.
FOR EXAMPLE
Instead of identifying what exists at a given location,
one may wish to find location(s) where certain
conditions are satisfied,

An unforested section of at least 2000 square meters

in size, within 100 meters of main road and with
soils suitable for supporting buildings

Where are houses located that you might consider buying?

Trends
WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE….?

How much land has changed to residential since 1970?

The third question might involve both of the first two and seeks to find the
differences for example, Land use, Forestation and area over time, e. g.
changes in forest cover or the extent of urbanization over the last ten
years.
PATTERNS :
WHAT SPATIAL PATTERN EXISTS…?

This question is more sophisticated one might ask this question to determine, The
distribution of landslides & Why it is mostly occurring on steep slopes (Or) Urban areas
distribution, specific cropping pattern, Traffic points where more frequent accidents occur.
MODELING : What if...?

“What if..” questions are posed to determine what happens, e. g. ,

1. if a new road is added to a network

2. if a toxic substance seeps into the local groundwater supply.

Answering this type of question requires both geographic and other information (as well as
specific models).
 Models- What if...?

Where would be best locations

for new services?
Road vs Surrounding
Airport vs Surrounding
Health centre? Fault reactivated vs settlements
School?
Hotel?
Post office?
INTRODUCATION TO GIS
• Definition (what is GIS)
• History of GIS
• Evolution of GIS
• Why GIS
• Questions, GIS can answer
• Four Ms of GIS
• Functions of GIS (how GIS works)
• Components of GIS
M easurement
M apping
M onitoring
M odeling

Measurement:
Observe & measure the topographic and environmental parameters

Mapping:
Develop maps which portray characteristics of the earth

Monitoring:
Monitor changes both spatially and temporally

Modeling:
Preparation of models i.e. representing the real world in the form of a model
“The new source of power is not money in the hands
of a few but information in the hands of many.”
- John Naisbitt
GIS
– A tool to support decision making….

 Better decisions through mapping

and modeling our world.

 To understand today (& Past)

and plan a better Tomorrow.

 GIS helps, model and analyze

our world.

 Affecting where and how we live.

Our geography can be considered as a number of related data layers.

GIS are computer systems for collecting, storing, manipulating and displaying geographic information.

The four basic functions of GIS are:

1. Data Capture
Data used in GIS come from many different sources, are of many
types, and are stored in different ways.
A GIS provides tools and methods for the integration of different data
into a format to be compared and analysed.
Data sources: Aerial photos, maps, Tabular data, GPS & RS data

2. Data Management

(Database management and updates)

GIS provides facilities which can contain and maintain data.
Effective data management includes all of the following aspects:
data security, data integrity, data storage and retrieval, and
data maintenance abilities.
3. Spatial Analysis

Spatial analysis is the most important function of GIS.

The spatial analysis provides the functions such as spatial interpolation, buffering and overlay
operations. For instance, a satellite image can assist an agricultural scientist to project crop
yield per hectare in a particular region. The scientist can compare a soil map with that satellite
image for fertility and suitability for agriculture

4. Presenting Results

GIS provides a variety of different ways in which the information can be presented. Traditional
methods of tabulating and graphing data can be supplemented by maps and three-
dimensional images. Visual communications is of the most fascinating aspects of GIS
technology and is available in a diverse range of output options.
 INPUT
Data from
Maps
Tabular
OUTPUT
Data Geographic Information System
Maps

Field Data
Data Base Management System Statistics
Other Collection Storage, Manipulation
& Input Retrieval & Analysis
Output
database Reports

A Other
B database

Remote
Sensing

Decision makers
Components of GIS

People
Software

Hardware

Database

Policy &
Procedures

A working GIS integrates five key components:

1. Hardware
GIS software runs on a wide range of hardware types. The affordability of desktop computers with
an increasing computing power and decreasing cost of software has resulted in widespread
desktop GIS.

2. Software
GIS software provides-
Tools for the input and manipulation of geographic information.
· A database management system (DBMS)
· Tools that support geographic query, analysis, and visualization
· A graphical user interface (GUI) for easy access to tools
3. Data

Data is one of the most important and costly component in implementing GIS.
Database is the longest living part of any GIS implementation.
Implementing GIS requires adequate emphasis on database planning and choosing the right
information base for the particular applications of an organisation.

Land Use
Planning
Most GIS applications in a particular area require a
Natural
common set of spatial data. Parcel
Resources
Management
Management

DATA
GIS as a technology will only be viable and cost-
effective, if data is readily available at affordable
Census Environmental
cost. Data Monitoring
Topographic
Mapping
4. People

GIS technology is of limited value without the people who manage the system and develop plans
for applying it to real-world problems.

GIS users range from technical specialists who design and maintain the system to those who
use it to help them perform their everyday work.

GIS constitute truly an interdisciplinary field and require varied backgrounds of expertise,
depending upon the applications.
5. Policies and Procedures

A successful GIS operates according to a well-designed plan and business rules, which are the
models and operating practices unique to each organization.

GIS exist in the context of application within an organisation. For example - in the case of
municipal GIS applications, it will have different functional requirements compared to GIS for
agriculture or land use planning.

The interest and willingness of decision makers in exploiting GIS technology, and the organisational set
up for collecting spatial data, analysis procedures, and using the results for planning and implementation
form a very important component in a GIS.

Choosing the right GIS for a particular GIS implementation involves matching the GIS needs to the
functionality demanded by the types of application of an organisation.