DESKTOP GIS: AN INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS GIS ?
Computer-based system to collect, store,
INPUT manipulate, analyze, and visualize geographic
Data from information
Maps
OUTPUT
Tabular Geographic Information System
Data
Maps
Field Data
Data Base Management System Statistics
Other Collection Storage, Manipulation
Output
database & Input Retrieval & Analysis
Reports
A
Other
database
B
Statistical
C
Packages
D
Remote User
Requirements
Sensing
WHY GIS ?
Many information includes geographical facts in the
decision making process
Powerful tool for handling spatial data
Analytical capability of spatial data
Integrates spatial and non-spatial data within a
single system
Allows to manipulate and display geographical
information in a new and exciting ways
STRUCTURE OF SPATIAL DATA
Thematic Thematic
Aspect Properties
Object
Geometric Shape & Size
Aspect Position & Orientation
DESKTOP GIS: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT
DOES?
Computer mapping system
Tool to manage information of an object according to its
geometric and thematic information
Changes Maps in Flash
Road Network
Land utilization
Population
Allows to work with different kind of information at the
same time
Criteria
FOREST
Brush land
500 meters away
from rivers and
streams
AGRICULTURE 300 meters away
from roads
Area greater than
2000sq. meter
BRUSH
Land use Rivers Stream Road
DESKTOP GIS: HOW IT WORKS ?
Representation of objects using points, lines, areas
FOREST
LAKE
Map scale controls the size of features and shapes used to
represent them
Maps use graphic symbols to identify features
A Desktop GIS stores descriptive information about
map features as attributes
Road-ID Length Surface No. of Lanes Avg. Daily
(km) Material Traffic
10 5.4 Asphalt 4 3200
Single
20 9.4 Asphalt 4 4000
Feature
30 25.3 Concrete 6 7900
Different
Attributes
Desktop GIS links features on a map to their attributes in a
table
Landuse-ID Area Class
10 537456 Forest
20 450321 Shrub
30 550765 Agri.
40 215730 Water
Land Use Map Attribute Table
ASKING QUESTIONS - GETTING ANSWERS
With Desktop GIS, You Can get information about any
specific features and display its attributes by -
- Pointing on it
- Selecting with a box
- Selecting with a circle
- Selecting in a attribute table
- Query builder
By Pointing
Parcel-Id: 404
Area: 1000 [Link].
Owner: Mr. Thompson
Date of Purchase: April 1st, 1998
Value:House
US$ 200,000
No.: 144
Area: 250 [Link].
Bed Rooms: 4
Bath Rooms: 2
Select features by selecting their attributes in a table
Landuse-ID Area Class
10 537456 Forest
20 450321 Shrub
30 550765 Agri.
40 215730 Water
Attribute Table Land Use Map
Search features by entering a request: QUERY
- Which houses have 4 bed rooms and tile roofs and area > 1800 [Link].
- What is the total area of forest area, shrub land, agricultural area, water
body, etc.
- What is the total length of particular type of road
- Which district have population density > 1500 per [Link].
Desktop GIS Database stores related map features as
separate map themes
Land Use
Spatial
Soil Overlay
Roads
Combined Themes
Rivers
Buildings
MAKING INFORMATION PRESENTABLE
When you have to present information to others, you need to
think about:
To whom you are presenting to
Apply filter to show features that are important
Choose the most appropriate symbols and colors
To reduce the number of symbols and make the map
easier to understand, divide or classify the values into
groups
Contents of a map
- Primary content: the main theme
- Secondary content: base maps and basic map information
- Supportive contents: title, legend, scale, north arrow, etc.
INTRODUCTION TO ARCVIEW
Desktop version of
ARC/INFO
Desktop Mapping
System
Access many data
sources within one
environment
Allows to visualize,
update, analyze, and
quality presentation
of information
ARCVIEW MODULES (EXTENSIONS)
Network Spatial
Analyst Analyst
ARCVIEW
CAD Image
Reader Analyst
3D
Analyst
A Theme is a set of geographic features. It represents
a source of geographic data.
ARC/INFO
coverage or
ArcView shapefile.
CAD drawings
Satellite Images
Table containing
XY coordinates
An interactive map that
lets to display, explore,
query and analyze
geographic data in
ARCVIEW
Descriptive information of a theme
Visual representation
of data in a table
Dynamically linked to
the maps in a view
Layouts are
presentations that
includes any
components that we
create in ArcView
Programs written in ArcView’s programming language -
AVENUE
Automate tasks
Add new capabilities to
ArcView
Build complete
applications
A project is the file
which contains all the
view, tables, charts,
layouts and scripts that
are used for a particular
ArcView application
A project file is an ASCII
file with .apr extension
Road
Views River
Land Use
Tabular
Tables Information
PROJECT
Information
Charts in Charts
Layouts Presentations
Scripts Programming