Seminar on

COMPONENTS OF GIS
(Geographic Information System)
Presented by, Guided by,
Reuben Alex Sabu Dr:A Balasubramanian
4th Sem Msc Geology Professor

DOS in Earth Science

UNIVERSITY OF MYSORE
 CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION
• DEFINITION OF GIS
• COMPONENTS OF GIS
• AREA OF GIS APPLICATIONS
• CONCLUSION
• REFERENCE
 INTRODUCTION
 We use a word processor to write documents and
deal with words on a computer, similarly we can use
a GIS application to deal with spatial information on
a computer. GIS stands for ‘Geographic Information
System’.

 A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a system

designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze,
manage, and present all types of geographical data.

 A geographic information system (GIS) integrates

hardware, software, and data for capturing,
managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of
 GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret,
and visualize data in many ways that reveal
relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps,
globes, reports, and charts.

 A GIShelps you answer questions and solve problems

by looking at your data in a way that is quickly
understood and easily shared.
 Components of GIS
The major components of GIS is
◦ Hardware,
◦ Software,
◦ Data,
◦ People,
◦ Procedure
◦ Network
 Hardware
 The computer or Central Processing Unit is the
general hardware component of the GIS. It is
attached to a disk drive storage unit, used for
storing data and program.
 Devices like digitizer, scanner are used for
converting the data, which is available in the form
of maps and documents, into digital form and send
them to computer.
 Display device or a plotter is used which presents
the result of the data processing.
 A tapedevice is used to store data or program on
magnetic tape.
 Software
 The GIS software includes the programs and the
user interface for driving the hardware. GIS
software is essential to generate, store, analyze,
manipulate and display geographic information or
data. A good GIS software requires user
friendliness, functionalities, compatibilities,
updatability, documentation, cost effectiveness.

 The basic functions GIS software should offer can

be grouped into data capture, data management,
data analysis and representation:
◦ Data capture - no data, no GIS.
Data capture functionality could either be the importing
of digital data from a disk, network or database, or
digitizing it through the use of peripheral devices.

◦ Data management - quality is essential.

One step beyond data capture is data editing and
maintenance. Editing involves functions such as adding,
duplicating and deleting spatial and attribute data as well
as creation and management of metadata. Using tools to
detect errors and to perform transformations is another
aspect of data management.
 Data analysis - ask questions.
A GIS is typically used to answer questions related to space.
For the purpose of finding an answer, a GIS should not only
offer tools to query and retrieve data, but also functions for
data integration and modeling.

 Visualization - make it visible.

Any analysis of data is only useful if the final output is also
understood by the intended recipient. A GIS offers tools to
present data in various ways, ranging from displaying tabular
information, over graph/chart production, to printing maps.
Some GIS offer advanced visualization beyond two
dimensions, such as digital elevation model (DEM) or digital
movie files. Output can also be shared by storing it on a disk
or a web server, which allows for dynamic views of the data.
 Aside from these basic functions, a GIS should also offer
ways for customizing and creating new tools and
applications according to your needs. Depending on the
software, this can either be done through well known
programming or scripting languages such as Visual Basic
or Python, or through a programming language
specifically provided by the application.

 The following is a list of GIS software producers and

their main products.

◦ Environmental Systems Research Institute ( ESRI ): Arc

Info, Arc View. Arc GIS.

◦ Autodesk: AutoCAD Map

 International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth
Sciences: ILWIS

 MapInfo Corporation: MapInfo.

 PCI Geomatics: PA MAP

 Telogis : Geobase
 DATA
 The most important component of a
GIS is the data. Geographic data and
related tabular data can be collected in-
house, compiled to custom
specifications and requirements, or
occasionally purchased from a
commercial data provider.
 A GIS can integrate spatial data with
other existing data resources, often
stored in a corporate DBMS. The
integration of spatial data, and tabular
data stored in a DBMS is a key
functionality afforded by GIS.
The ability of GIS to handle and process geographically
referenced data, distinguish GIS from other Information
systems. Geographically referenced data describe both the
location and characteristics of spatial feature on earth surface.
GIS therefore involves two geographic data components.

1. Spatial Data :Spatial data describes the absolute and

relative location of geographic feature. It relate to the
geometry of a spatial feature.

2.Attribute Data: Attribute data describes characteristics of

spatial features. Attribute data are often referred to as tabular
data. It gives information about the spatial features.
Spatial Data

 RASTER data type consists of

rows and columns of cells, with
each cell storing a single value.
 The vector data model uses points and their x-, y- coordinates to
construct spatial features of points, lines and areas. Vector based
features are treated as discrete objects over the space.

 Points Entities: - Points defines discrete location of geographic

feature too small to be depicted as lines or areas, such as well
location, telephone pole etc. Point can also represent location that
have no area such mountain peak.
 Line Entities: - Line entities can be defined as all features built up of
straight-line segments made up of two or more coordinates. The
simplest line required the storage of a begin point and an end point
(two XY coordinate points) plus a possible records indicating the
display symbol to be used.
 Area Entities: - Areas of polygons can be represented in various
ways in a vector database. The simplest way to represents a polygon
is an extensions of the simple chain, i.e. to represents each polygon as
a set of XY coordinates on the boundary. Areas are closed figures that
represent shape and location of homogeneous feature such as states,
soil types, land use zones.
 ATTRIBUTE DATA
 Georelational data model links spatial data and
attribute data by id.
 Attribute data stored in feature attribute table
which contains the id.
 Row is called a record, column is called a field or
an item.
 Procedure & Method
 Procedure, more related to the management aspect of GIS, is
referred to lines of reporting, control points, and other
mechanism for ensuring the high quality of GIS.

 The procedures used to input, analyze, and query data

determine the quality and validity of the final product.

 The right method is a key for successful operation of GIS

technology.

 The well-designed implementation plan and business rules are

unique to each organization.
 Topological Relationships between Spatial Objects
 In practical applications of GIS, all possible relationships in spatial data should be used logically with more
complicated data structures.
The following topology relationships are commonly defined.
 a. Point-Pont Relationship
"is within" : within a certain distance
"is nearest to" : nearest to a certain point
 b. Point-Line Relationships
"on line" : a point on a line
"is nearest to" : a point nearest to a line
 c. Point-area Relationships
"is contained in’’ : a point in an area
"on border of area" : a point on border
of an area
 d. Line-Line Relationships
"intersects" : two lines intersect
"crosses" : two lines cross without an
intersect
"flow into" : a stream flows into the river
e. Line-Area Relationship
"intersects" : a line intersects an area
"borders" : a line is a part of border of an area
 f. Area-Area Relationships
"overlaps" : two areas overlap
"is within" : an island within an area
"is adjacent to" : two area share a common boundary
 Database Models
 A database model is a type of data model that determines the
logical structure of a database and fundamentally determines in
which manner data can be stored, organized, and manipulated. The
most popular example of a database model is the relational model,
which uses a table-based format.
 In a Hierarchical model, data is organized into a tree-like structure,
implying a single parent for each record. This structure allows one-
to-many relationship between two types of data.

 The network model expands upon the hierarchical structure, allowing

many-to-many relationships in a tree-like structure that allows
multiple parents.

 A flat file database describes any of various means to encode a

database model(most commonly a table) as a single file. A flat file
can be a plain text file or a binary file. There are usually no structural
relationships between the records.

 In the relational model of a database, all data is represented in terms

of tuples, grouped into relations. A database organized in terms of the
relational model is a relational database.
 Thematic Data Modeling
 The real world entities are so complex that they should be
classified into object classes with some similarity through thematic
data modeling in a spatial database.
 The objects in a spatial database are defined as representations of
real world entities with associated attributes.
 Generally, geospatial data have three major components; position,
attributes and time. Attributes are often termed "thematic data" or
"non-spatial data", that are linked with spatial data or geometric
data.
 An attribute has a defined characteristic of entity in the real world.
 Attribute can be categorized as normal, ordinal, numerical,
conditional and other characteristics.
 Attribute values are often listed in attribute tables which will
establish relationships between the attributes and spatial data such
as point, line and area objects, and also among the attributes.
Spatial objects grouped in layers
 Data Structure for Continuous Surface Model
 In GIS, continuous surface such as terrain surface, meteorological observation
(rain fall, temperature, pressure etc.) population density and so on should be
modeled. As sampling points are observed at discrete interval, a surface model
to present the three dimensional shape ; z = f (x, y) should be built to allow the
interpolation of value at arbitrary points of interest.
Usually the following four types of sampling point structure are modeled into
DEM.

 Grid at regular intervals :

Bi-linear surface with four points or bi-cubic
surface with sixteen points is commonly used
 Random points :
Triangulated irregular network (TIN) is commonly
used. Interpolation by weighted polynomials is
also used.
Data Structure for Continuous Surface Model

 Contour lines :
Interpolation based on proportional
distance between adjacent contours is
used. TIN is also used.

 Profile :
Profiles are observed perpendicular to an
alignment or a curve such as high ways. In
case the alignment is a straight line, grid
points will be interpolated. In case the
alignment is a curve, TIN will be
generated.
 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. The identification of GIS specialists
versus end users is often critical to the proper
implementation of GIS technology.
 NETWORK

Network allows rapid

communication and sharing
digital information. The
internet has proven very
popular as a vehicle for
delivering GIS applications.
Area of GIS Applications
Major areas of GIS application can be grouped into five categories as follows.
 Facilities Management
Large scale and precise maps and network analysis are used mainly for utility
management.
 Environment and Natural Resources Management
Medium or small scale maps and overlay techniques in combination with
aerial photographs and satellite images are used for management of natural
resources and environmental impact analysis.
 Street Network
Large or medium scale maps and spatial analysis are used for vehicle routing,
locating house and streets etc.
 Planning and Engineering
Large or medium scale maps and engineering models are used mainly in civil
engineering.
 Land Information System
Large scale cadastre maps or land parcel maps and spatial analysis are used
for cadastre administration, taxation etc.
 CONCLUSION
Now a days GIS got very much scope in all
most all the fields such as
◦ Mapping to identify the borders of cities , districts ,
countries etc.
◦ It is also helpful in finding the populations of the
areas
◦ It is also essential to study geological settings of the
area by digitizing maps.
GIS components is useful to display spatial patterns
hidden in table and database. It allows to create
detailed maps.
Describes the functional basis of GIS and appreciate
the potential users in GIS
For many years, though GIS has been considered to
be too difficult, expensive, and proprietary. The
advent of graphical user interface (GUI), powerful and
affordable hardware and software, and public digital
data has broadened the range of GIS application and
brought GIS to mainstream use.
 REFERENCE
 M.Anji Reddy; Remote sensing and G.I.S & Fundamentals
of G.I.S(2000); pp:122-141
 Debashis Chakra borty-Rabi N.Sahoo; Fundamentals of
GIS(2007)by: -pp 1-22.
 David J Buckley; An Introduction to Geographic
Information Systems- pp1-72
 Shahab fazal;G.I.S Basics(2008) pp:13-21

 Websites
◦ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_informati
on_system
◦ http://giswin.geo.tsukuba.ac.jp/sis/tutorial/Fundame
ntals_of_GIS_Estoque.pdf
THANK YOU