CIVL 1101

What is GIS?

WhatisGIS?

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WhatisGIS?

GeographicalInformationSystems(GIS)canberegardedasthe
hightechequivalentofthemap.

Hydrology

GISintegrateshardware,software,anddataforcapturing,
managing,analyzing,anddisplayingallformsofgeographically
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referencedinformation.

Parcels
AerialPhotos
Elevation

WhatisGIS?

WhatisGIS?

Anindividualmapcontainsalotofinformationwhichisusedin
differentwaysbydifferentindividualsandorganizations.
GISallowsustoview,understand,question,interpret,and
visualizedatainmanywaysthatrevealrelationships,patterns,
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,
andtrendsintheformofmaps,globes,reports,andcharts.

DataAnalysis
DataStorage
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DataInput

WhatisGIS?

DataVisualization

WhatisGIS?
ThepowerofaGIScomesfromtheabilitytorelatedifferent
informationinaspatialcontextandtoreachaconclusion
aboutthisrelationship.
Mostoftheinformationwehaveaboutourworldcontainsa
locationreference,placingthatinformationatsomepointon
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theglobe.

CIVL 1101

What is GIS?

WhatisGIS?
Whenrainfallinformationiscollected,itisimportanttoknow
wheretherainfallislocated.
Thisisdonebyusingalocationreferencesystem,suchas
longitudeandlatitude,andperhapselevation.

WhatisGIS?
Whenrainfallinformationiscollected,itisimportanttoknow
wheretherainfallislocated.
Thisisdonebyusingalocationreferencesystem,suchas
longitudeandlatitude,andperhapselevation.

WhatisGIS?
Comparingtherainfallinformationwithotherinformation,
suchasthelocationofmarshesacrossthelandscape,may
showthatcertainmarshesreceivelittlerainfall.

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WhatisGIS?
Thisfactmayindicatethatthesemarshesarelikelytodryup,
andthisinferencecanhelpusmakethemostappropriate
decisionsabouthowhumansshouldinteractwiththemarsh.

WhatisGIS?
AGIS,therefore,canrevealimportantnewinformationthat
leadstobetterdecisionmaking.

WhatisGIS?
Manycomputerdatabasesthatcanbedirectlyenteredintoa
GISarebeingproducedbyFederal,State,tribal,andlocal
governments,privatecompanies,academia,andnonprofit
organizations.
DifferentkindsofdatainmapformcanbeenteredintoaGIS.
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U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) digital line graph (DLG) data of roads.

USGS DLG of rivers.

CIVL 1101

What is GIS?

WhatisGIS?
Manycomputerdatabasesthatcanbedirectlyenteredintoa
GISarebeingproducedbyFederal,State,tribal,andlocal
governments,privatecompanies,academia,andnonprofit
organizations.
DifferentkindsofdatainmapformcanbeenteredintoaGIS.
p

USGS digital elevation (DEM).

USGS DLG of contour lines (hypsography).

WhatisGIS?
Manycomputerdatabasesthatcanbedirectlyenteredintoa
GISarebeingproducedbyFederal,State,tribal,andlocal
governments,privatecompanies,academia,andnonprofit
organizations.
DifferentkindsofdatainmapformcanbeenteredintoaGIS.
p

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WhatisGIS?
AGIScanalsoconvertexistingdigitalinformation,whichmay
notyetbeinmapform,intoformsitcanrecognizeanduse.
Forexample,digitalsatelliteimagescanbeanalyzedto
produceamapofdigitalinformationaboutlanduseandland
cover.

Landsat 7 satellite image from which land cover

information can be derived.

WhatisGIS?
AGIScanalsoconvertexistingdigitalinformation,whichmay
notyetbeinmapform,intoformsitcanrecognizeanduse.
Likewise,censusorhydrologictabulardatacanbeconvertedto
amaplikeformandserveaslayersofthematicinformationina
GIS.

Part of a census data file containing address information.

USGS scanned, rectified topographic map

USGS digital orthophoto quadrangle

WhatisGIS?
Manycomputerdatabasesthatcanbedirectlyenteredintoa
GISarebeingproducedbyFederal,State,tribal,andlocal
governments,privatecompanies,academia,andnonprofit
organizations.
DifferentkindsofdatainmapformcanbeenteredintoaGIS.
p
USGS geologic map

Satellite image data has been analyzed to

indicate classes of land uses and cover.

Part of a hydrologic data report indicating the discharge

and amount of river flow recorded by a particular
streamgage that has a known location.

WhatisGIS?
HowcanaGISusetheinformationinamap?
Ifthedatatobeusedarenotalreadyindigitalform,thatis,in
aformthecomputercanrecognize,varioustechniquescan
capturetheinformation.

CIVL 1101

What is GIS?

WhatisGIS?
HowcanaGISusetheinformationinamap?

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WhatisGIS?
Two andthreedimensionalcontourmapscreatedfromthe
surfacemodelingofsamplepointsfrompHmeasurements

AGIScanbeusedtoemphasizethespatialrelationships
amongtheobjectsbeingmapped.
Whileacomputer
While a computeraided
aidedmappingsystemmayrepresentaroad
mapping system may represent a road
simplyasaline,aGISmayalsorecognizethatroadasthe
boundarybetweenwetlandandurbandevelopmentbetween
twocensusstatisticalareas.

Points with pH values of oil.

WhatisGIS?
SincemuchoftheinformationinaGIScomesfromexisting
maps,aGISusestheprocessingpowerofthecomputerto
transformdigitalinformation,gatheredfromsourceswith
differentprojections,toacommonprojection.

An elevation image from a satellite image of Minnesota

exists in a different scale and projection than the lines on
the digital file of the State and province boundaries.

Contour map made from soil pH values

WhatisGIS?
GISisntlimitedtoflatmapsanddatabases.
Therearemanyextensionsthatenablethingssuchasthree
dimensionalvisualizationandanalysisandmuchmore.

The elevation image has been reprojected to match the

projection and scale of the State and province boundaries.

WhatisGIS?
Itisimpossibletocollectdataovereverysquaremeterofthe
Earth'ssurface.Therefore,samplesmustbetakenatdiscrete
locations.
AGIScanbeusedtodepicttwo andthreedimensional
characteristicsoftheEarth'ssurface,subsurface,and
,
,
atmospherefrompointswheresampleshavebeencollected.
Forexample,aGIScanquicklygenerateamapwithisolines
thatindicatethepHofsoilfromtestpoints.
Two andthreedimensionalcontourmapscreatedfromthe
surfacemodelingofsamplepointsfrompHmeasurementscan
beanalyzedtogetherwithanyothermapinaGIScoveringthe
area.

WhatisGIS?
GISisntlimitedtoflatmapsanddatabases.
Therearemanyextensionsthatenablethingssuchasthree
dimensionalvisualizationandanalysisandmuchmore.

CIVL 1101

What is GIS?

WhatisGIS?
Havethereeverbeengasstationsorfactoriesthatoperated
nexttotheswamp?
Wereanyoftheseuphillfromandwithin2milesofthe
swamp?
AGIScanrecognizeandanalyzethespatialrelationships
A GIS can recognize and analyze the spatial relationships
amongmappedphenomena.
Conditionsofadjacency(whatisnexttowhat),containment
(whatisenclosedbywhat),andproximity(howclose
somethingistosomethingelse)canbedeterminedwithaGIS.

WhatisGIS?
Sourcesofpollutionarerepresentedaspoints.Thecolored
circlesshowdistancefrompollutionsourcesandthewetlands
areindarkgreen.

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WhatisGIS?
AGIScansimulatethemovementofmaterialsalonganetwork
oflines.
Theseillustrationsshowtherouteofpollutantsthrougha
streamsystem.Flowdirectionsareindicatedbyarrows.

WhatisGIS?
Usingmapsofwetlands,slopes,streams,landuse,andsoils,
theGISmightproduceanewmaplayeroroverlaythatranks
thewetlandsaccordingtotheirrelativesensitivitytodamage
fromnutrientrunoff.

Shaded-relief map and contour lines generated

from the digital elevation model in the study area.

WhatisGIS?
Whennutrientsfromfarmlandarerunningoffintostreams,it
isimportanttoknowinwhichdirectionthestreamsflowand
whichstreamsemptyintootherstreams.
Thisisdonebyusingalinearnetwork.
Itallowsthecomputertodeterminehowthenutrientsare
It allows the computer to determine how the nutrients are
transporteddownstream.
Additionalinformationonwatervolumeandspeedthroughout
thespatialnetworkcanhelptheGISdeterminehowlongitwill
takethenutrientstotraveldownstream.

Map showing the steepness of slopes in the study

area, created by GIS from the digital elevation model.

WhatisGIS?
Usingmapsofwetlands,slopes,streams,landuse,andsoils,
theGISmightproduceanewmaplayeroroverlaythatranks
thewetlandsaccordingtotheirrelativesensitivitytodamage
fromnutrientrunoff.

Distances to streams as measured by three 200-meter

buffers derived from a digital map of hydrography.

Map indicating various land uses in the study area.

CIVL 1101

What is GIS?

WhatisGIS?
Usingmapsofwetlands,slopes,streams,landuse,andsoils,
theGISmightproduceanewmaplayeroroverlaythatranks
thewetlandsaccordingtotheirrelativesensitivitytodamage
fromnutrientrunoff.

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WhatisGIS?
Thelanduseandlandcovermapforthetwoareasshowsthat
theareaispartlydeveloped.

View showing a half-mile buffer zone drawn

around the service area of the Somers Water
Company.

A soils map stored in a GIS database. Numbers

indicate the type of soil.

The wetlands in the study area ranked according to

their vulnerability to pollution on the basis of
combination of factors evaluated by GIS.

WhatisGIS?
AcriticalcomponentofaGISisitsabilitytoproducegraphics
onthescreenoronpapertoconveytheresultsofanalysesto
thepeoplewhomakedecisionsaboutresources.
Wallmaps,Internetreadymaps,interactivemaps,andother
ggraphicscanbegenerated,allowingthedecisionmakersto
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visualizeandtherebyunderstandtheresultsofanalysesor
simulationsofpotentialevents

WhatisGIS?
Thelanduseandlandcovermapforthetwoareasshowsthat
theareaispartlydeveloped.

Land use
View
showing
and land
a half-mile
cover data
buffer
forzone
the area
drawn
around the
bounded
byservice
a half-mile
areabuffer
of the zone
Somers
around
Water
the
Company.
water
company service area.

Land use and land cover data for the area

bounded by a half-mile buffer zone around the
water company service area.

Thedevelopedareaswereeliminatedfromfurtherconsideration.

WhatisGIS?
TheU.S.GeologicalSurvey(USGS),inacooperativeproject
withtheConnecticutDepartmentofNaturalResources,
digitizedmorethan40maplayersfortheareascoveredbythe
USGSBroadBrookandEllington7.5minutetopographic
quadranglemaps.
ThisinformationcanbecombinedandmanipulatedinaGISto
addressplanningandnaturalresourceissues.

WhatisGIS?
Someofthestreamsinthestudyareawereknowntobe
unusableasdrinkingwatersources.Toavoidpullingwater
fromthesestreamsintothewells,100meterbufferzones
werecreatedaroundtheunsuitablestreams.

Buffer zones of 100 meters are drawn

around polluted stream in the water
service area.

CIVL 1101

What is GIS?

WhatisGIS?
Themapshowingthebufferedzoneswascombinedwiththe
landuseandlandcovermaptoeliminateareasaround
unsuitablestreamsfromtheanalysis

Buffered streams area subtracted from

Buffer
zones of 100
meters
are the
drawn
areas previously
selected
with
land
around
stream
use
andpolluted
land cover
data.in the water
service area.

WhatisGIS?
PointsourcesofpollutionarerecordedbytheConnecticut
DepartmentofNaturalResources.Theserecordsconsistofa
locationandatextdescriptionofthepollutant.

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WhatisGIS?
Thisinformationwascombinedwiththeprevioustwomap
layerstoproduceanewmapofareassuitableforwellsites

A
new map
created
in a GIS
eliminating
Buffer
zonesisof
500 meters
areby
drawn
the
buffered
sources
of pollution
from the
around
the point
sources
of pollution.
previously selected areas

WhatisGIS?
Themapofsurficialgeologyshowstheearthmaterialsthatlie
abovebedrock.
SincetheareaunderconsiderationinConnecticutiscovered
byglacialdeposits,thesurfaceconsistslargelyofsandand
ggravel,withsomeglacialtillandfinegrainedsediments.
,
g
g

Points sources
Buffered
streams
of pollution
area subtracted
in the water
from
areas previously
service
area are identified
selected with
and the
entered
land into a
use and land cover data.
GIS.

WhatisGIS?
Toavoidthesetoxicareas,abufferzoneof500meterswas
establishedaroundeachpoint.

WhatisGIS?
Ofthesematerials,sandandgravelarethemostlikelytostore
waterthatcouldbetappedwithwells.Areasunderlainbysand
andgravelwereselectedfromthesurficialgeologymap.

Points zones
Buffer
sources
of of
500
pollution
meters in
are
the
drawn
water
around the
service
areapoint
are identified
sources ofand
pollution.
entered into a
GIS.
Selection areas of sand and gravel from
the map of surficial geology.

CIVL 1101

What is GIS?

WhatisGIS?
Thesesdatawerecombinedwiththeresultsoftheprevious
selectionstoproduceamapconsistingof:(1)sitesinunder
developedareasunderlainbysandandgravel,(2)morethan
500metersfrompointsourcesofpollution,and(3)morethan
100metersfromunsuitablestreams.

Map produced by combining the areas

composed of sand and gravel with previous
Selection areas of sand and gravel from
selection
the map of surficial geology.

WhatisGIS?
Amapthatshowsthethicknessofsaturatedsedimentswas
createdbyusingtheGIStosubtractthebedrockelevation
fromthesurfaceelevation.

A bedrock elevation subtracted from surface

Map produced
by combining
thethickness
areas
elevation
by a GIS
to show the
of
composed of sand
and gravel with previous
water-saturated
sediment.
selection

WhatisGIS?
Forthisanalysis,areashavingmorethan40feetofsaturated
sedimentswereselectedandcombinedwiththeprevious
overlays.

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WhatisGIS?
Theresultingsiteselectionmapshowsareasthatare
undeveloped,aresituatedoutsidethebufferedpollution
areas,andareunderlainby40feetormoreofwatersaturated
sandandgravel.

Potential sites with saturated thickness of

sediments greater than 40 feet.

WhatisGIS?
Becauseofmapresolutionandthelimitsofprecisionin
digitizing,theverysmallpolygons(areas)maynothaveallof
thecharacteristicsanalyzed,soanotherGISfunctionwasused
toscreenoutareassmallerthan10acres.

Potential sites with saturated thickness of

sediments greater than 40 feet.

WhatisGIS?
Thefinalsixsitesaredisplayedwiththeroadandstream
networkandselectedplacenamesforuseinthefield.
Potential water well sites, roads,
streams and place names.

Potential
with saturated
of
A bedrocksites
elevation
subtractedthickness
from surface
sediments
greater
than
40 feet.
elevation by
a GIS to
show
the thickness of
water-saturated sediment.

Potential sites with saturated thickness of

sediments greater than 40 feet.

CIVL 1101

What is GIS?

WhatisGIS?
Siteselectionanalysishasmanycommonapplications,include
ing transportationplanningandwastedisposalsitelocation

Potential water well sites, roads,

streams and place names.

WhatisGIS?
Thetechniqueisparticularlyusefulwhenseveralphysical
factorsmustbeconsideredandintegratedoveralargearea.

Potential water well sites, roads,

streams and place names.

WhatisGIS?
Moredetailedinformationcanbefoundaboutthis
presentationat:http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/gis_poster/

AnyQuestions?
yQ

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