Introduction to GIS Systems

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Introduction to GIS Systems

• Ady Ecker

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History
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Applications

• Cartography
• Military C4I
• Government
• Transportation
• Agriculture
• Business
• Communications, mobile devices
• Internet
• http//gis.esri.com/esriclips/clip.cfm?ClipID60

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The North Carolina Center for Geographic
Information Analysis (CGIA)

• For More Information
• www.cgia.state.nc.us

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What is a Geographic Information System (GIS)?

• A computer-based data storage and analysis tool
  that combines previously unrelated information
  into a comprehensive picture.

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Corporate Geographic Database
Framework Data
Thematic Data
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GIS gives you the power to do things that were
simply impossible before.
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Forsyth County Water Supplies Water Delivery
System

• The power to understand complex relationships.

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• The power to plan for tomorrow, based on an
  accurate picture of today.

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• The power to present data in a clear, compelling
  way.

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• The power to make informed decisions.

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• The power to save time, money and even lives.

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GIS can be applied to

• Crime reduction
• Public safety enhancement
• Siting new schools
• Redistricting
• Floodplain mapping
• Growth management
• Disaster recovery
• Tax mapping

• Economic development
• School bus routing
• Fire station location
• Land conservation
• Environmental impact studies
• Water sewer expansion
• Superfund cleanup

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Situation 1

• The City of Wilson needed to locate a new fire
  station.

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Wilson, N.C.
Without GIS

• drive all the roads in the city
• figure times and distances to each household and
  business by hand
• allow a year to complete the study

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Wilson, N.C.

• With GIS
• ran more than 40 computer scenarios in just 3
  days
• analyzed benefits of building a new station
  versus moving an existing one
• determined best solution relocate 2 existing
  stations

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Wilson, N.C.

• Results
• reduced time to reach all locations in city from
  7 minutes to 4 minutes
• over 5 years, city saved an estimated 2,000,000
  in building costs, equipment, salaries, etc.

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Disaster recovery
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Floodplain mapping
500 year flood
100 year flood
Hurricane Floyd
Flooding in Greenville
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Watershed planning
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Zoning
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Smart growth
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Police and fire deployment
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Residential development
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Economic development
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Fund allocation
Prime Farmland in Johnston County
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Intelligent demographics
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Typical system structure
data acquisition
storage
network
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Research areas

• Computer vision
• Computational Geometry
• Graphics
• HCI

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Geodesy

• Ellipsoid
• Projections Geographic, UTM
• Distance, Azimuth
• Datum

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Elevations

• Geoid
• DTM representations TIN, Grid, elevation
  contours
• Problems
• interpolation
• rendering
• line and area of sight
• planning routes in 3D
• HCI

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Practical issues

• Formats
• Data integration
• Software engineering
• Printing

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Key Players

• Nima
• ESRI ArcGIS
• Intergraph - Geomedia
• MapInfo
• Autometric (Boeing)

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Snapshots (Autometric)
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Snapshots (Autometric)
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ESRI

• http//gis.esri.com/esriclips/clip.cfm?ClipID83
• http//gis.esri.com/esriclips/clip.cfm?clipID111
• http//gis.esri.com/esriclips/clip.cfm?clipID107

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GeoMedia Demos

• Queries

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Skyline

• http//www.skylinesoft.com/corporate/go3d/go3d_hom
  e.asp?StartCityWashington

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• The End