Lecture

Geographic Information Systems

Graph Chat

Chat with Graph Search

Ask any question about EPFL courses, lectures, exercises, research, news, etc. or try the example questions below.

DISCLAIMER: The Graph Chatbot is not programmed to provide explicit or categorical answers to your questions. Rather, it transforms your questions into API requests that are distributed across the various IT services officially administered by EPFL. Its purpose is solely to collect and recommend relevant references to content that you can explore to help you answer your questions.

Description

This lecture introduces Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a tool to aid decision-making processes, emphasizing the importance of nuanced usage due to resource demands. It explains the dual technical and functional approaches of GIS, highlighting the integration of spatial and alphanumeric data for decision support. The lecture covers the two spatial data representations - raster and vector - and discusses the significance of accurate and up-to-date data in GIS applications. It also addresses the key components of GIS, including data, hardware, software, and user involvement, stressing that GIS is a decision support tool rather than a decision-making entity. The lecture concludes by outlining the utility of GIS in urban planning and diagnostics, while cautioning about the limitations related to data accuracy and maintenance.

In MOOC

African cities I, An introduction to urban planning

The course focuses solely on African cities, and while these can serve as examples for cities in the South, or indeed all cities, we do our utmost to put the issues back into an African context.

Official source

Related concepts (21)

Geographic data and information

Geographic data and information is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as data and information having an implicit or explicit association with a location relative to Earth (a geographic location or geographic position). It is also called geospatial data and information, georeferenced data and information, as well as geodata and geoinformation. Approximately 90% of government sourced data has a location component. Location information (known by the many names mentioned here) is stored in a geographic information system (GIS).

Vector graphics

Vector graphics is a form of computer graphics in which visual images are created directly from geometric shapes defined on a Cartesian plane, such as points, lines, curves and polygons. The associated mechanisms may include vector display and printing hardware, vector data models and file formats, as well as the software based on these data models (especially graphic design software, computer-aided design, and geographic information systems).

Raster graphics

In computer graphics and digital photography, a raster graphics represents a two-dimensional picture as a rectangular matrix or grid of square pixels, viewable via a computer display, paper, or other display medium. A raster is technically characterized by the width and height of the image in pixels and by the number of bits per pixel. Raster images are stored in s with varying dissemination, production, generation, and . The printing and prepress industries know raster graphics as contones (from continuous tones).

Geographic information system

A geographic information system (GIS) consists of integrated computer hardware and software that store, manage, analyze, edit, output, and visualize geographic data. Much of this often happens within a spatial database, however, this is not essential to meet the definition of a GIS. In a broader sense, one may consider such a system also to include human users and support staff, procedures and workflows, the body of knowledge of relevant concepts and methods, and institutional organizations.

Spatial database

A spatial database is a general-purpose database (usually a relational database) that has been enhanced to include spatial data that represents objects defined in a geometric space, along with tools for querying and analyzing such data. Most spatial databases allow the representation of simple geometric objects such as points, lines and polygons. Some spatial databases handle more complex structures such as 3D objects, topological coverages, linear networks, and triangulated irregular networks (TINs).

Related lectures (37)

Metadata: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems MOOC: Geographical Information Systems 1

Covers the importance of metadata in geoinformation and international standards like ISO/TC 211 and the INSPIRE directive.

Raster - Vector Integration MOOC: Geographical Information Systems 2

Covers the integration of raster and vector data in GIS using QGIS.

Future prospects, GIS and augmented reality MOOC: Geographical Information Systems 2

Discusses the combination of augmented reality technology with spatial information and its various applications.

Interactions between Raster and Vector

Covers interactions between raster and vector data layers in GIS, including extracting information at specific points and calculating statistics within polygon zones.

Spatial Sampling: Concepts and Techniques