Get Started with GIS Mapping

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Get Started with GIS Mapping

• Part 1of 3
• Madhu Lakshmanan

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Agenda for this section

• Introduction to GIS and some mapping jargon
• Brief exploration of Google Earth
• Thematic maps on GE
• The Census KML online application
• Homework!

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What is GIS

• Mapping
• Wide spectrum of complexity
• Combination of hardware, software data
• Can be one single large system or a suite of
  tools or one small tool depending on your
  requirement
• Data is key

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Terms that we will come across

• Layer A slice of the geography of a particular
  area. On a paper map, one layer could be the
  roads, another could be parks, another could be
  places of interest.
• Geocoding Converting street addresses into
  spatial data that can be displayed on a map
  (usually a latitude and longitude pair)
• Shapefiles A data format that stores a
  particular geographic feature of a certain area.
  (it is usually a set of files) and is almost the
  de-facto standard. It is an ESRI-created format.
• KML/KMZ an XML based language schema for
  expressing geographic visualization. It is an
  official open standard for all geobrowsers.
• Projection transformation of a map from a
  spherical object (Earth) to a flat sheet of paper.

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Google Earth
Transparency Control
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Exploring Google Earth

• Copy Image/ Print Scr
• View Menu
• Tools Options
• Navigation
• Fly to
• Layers
• Adding your own placemarks to a folder and saving
  a KML file

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Thematic Maps

• Map made to reflect a particular theme (social,
  physical, political etc.) about a geographical
  area. It shows distributions rather than actual
  locations where people live.
• Ideal to display census data on a map for general
  understanding

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Example of a simple thematic map from the US
Census
Percent Population below poverty by county in
North Carolina.
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The KMZ Census Mapper
http//ctasgis02.psur.utk.edu/tokml/Default.aspx
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The Census KMZ Mapper
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Downloaded KML visualized in Google Earth
Percent Population Without Access to Private Auto
in Whole State
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Resources and Interesting Mapping Applications - 1

• Census website
• http//census.gov
• American Factfinder
• http//factfinder.census.gov
• Google Earth User Guide
• http//earth.google.com/userguide/v5/
• Rural Assistance Center Maps
• http//raconline/org/maps
• Show_at_/USA
• http//show.mappingworlds.com/usa

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Homework

• Use CensusKML application to create 3 thematic
  maps with census data for your state on Google
  Earth. You can send me the KML files via email
  with appropriate annotation.
• Play with Google Earth to be familiar with its
  interface.
• Get familiar with the American FactFinder website.