Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

In this lesson you will learn:

• the definition and basic structure of GIS
• the reason for GIS
• GIS as a tool of visualization
• the ways GIS is used in today’s world
Definition of a GIS

A geographic information system (GIS):

• focuses on geography and the geographic relationships between places or things

• consists of information, or data, describing the characteristics or properties of geographic entities
• systematically enables us to manage, organize, manipulate, analyze, and display that information
Information Systems
Why Geography?

“In a closed system, no two electrons can occupy the

same state.” -Exclusion Principle of Wolfgang Pauli, describing the behavior
of electrons in an atom.
Why Geography?
Why Geography?

The Corn Palace, Mitchell, S.Dak.

Geography Matters!

Understanding geography helps us:

• make better use of resources and the natural environment
• lessen the risk of exposure to natural hazards and reduce the costs of damage
• place businesses, schools, parks, and other services in locations where they can best serve our needs
• lessen the risk of exposure to human-caused hazards
• appreciate human cultures and the sovereignty of nations
• allocate personnel or limited resources to where they are most needed and can do the most good
• manage or even avoid conflict
• produce the abundance of food, fiber, and oil crops that feed, clothe, and house us
• minimize destructive impacts on habitats and ecosystems
• recognize social injustice
• understand the natural world itself
Components of GIS

The IS side The Operational side

• data • questions/needs for information
• software • people
• hardware • skills
• spatial data capture tools • management
Technology of GIS

Montage of photos: computer, CD-ROM disk,

GPS unit, scanner, satellite image
Visualizing across maps

Map images from the Illinois

Department of Natural Resources

GIS gives us the ability to organize spatial data from disparate sources in a single common viewing frame.
Asset management: who owns what?

A county-level Land Information System. source: De Kalb County Government,

Information Management Office, http://www.dekalbcounty.org/imo_index.html
Asset management: where is my --------?

Photo courtesy of the Arkansas, Louisiana &

Mississippi Railroad; www.almrailroad.com
Getting help to where it’s needed

Hampton Roads Hurricane Evacuation Routes, web-interactive map

courtesy of the Virginia Department of Transportation
Protecting the environment

Invasive species on the island of O’ahu.

Source: Pacific Basin Information Node, Mapping Service, http://pbin.nbii.gov/
Efficient use of resources

Variable rate prescription map for

post-harvest application of lime in
an Illinois corn/soybean field.
Managing costs/increasing profits

Optimizing elementary school catchment districts in Fayetteville, AR; image

courtesy of the Fayetteville Public Schools G.I.S. Program
Preserving the past

Interactive Cahokia Map, from the Illinois State Museum GIS Lab,
http://www.museum.state.il.us/research/GISlab/
Understanding ourselves, understanding our world

Naturally occurring arsenic in potable ground-water resources of the continental

United States; map image from the U.S. National Atlas, http://nationalatlas.gov
What you have learned:

• GIS is an information system built upon spatial data, that allows us to explore the geography of
places and events in our world and the geographic relationships between phenomena.

• GIS applications range from simple mapping and asset management to scientific inquiry and education,
and abound in nearly every industry and scientific field you can imagine.