Geographical Information

Systems

Lecture 5
GIS Basic Functions (1. Data Acquisition)

Prepared by
Dr. Naglaa Fathy
naglaa_fathy@cis.asu.edu.eg
Image source: Westfield State University
 Agenda
• Introduction
• Primary Data Sources
• Secondary Data Sources
• Data Transfer

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 Introduction
• GIS Data acquisition involves identification and collection of the
required geospatial data.

• Also called: data collection, or data capture.

• Data collection is a time consuming, tedious, and expensive process.

o It consumes 60% - 85% of the cost of a GIS project.

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 Data source types
Two main types of data collection:
❑Primary data sources are those collected in digital format specifically for use
in a GIS project.

❑Secondary sources are digital and analog datasets that were originally
captured for another purpose and need to be converted into a suitable digital
format for use in a GIS project.

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 Data Collection Techniques

Raster Vector
Primary Digital remote sensing images GPS measurements
Digital aerial photographs Survey measurements

Secondary Scanned maps or photographs Topographic maps

Digital elevation models from Toponymy

topographic map contours (placename) databases

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 Primary geographic data collection - Raster data capture
A. Remote sensing
• A technique used to derive information about the physical, chemical,
and biological properties of objects without direct physical contact.
• Information is derived from measurements of the amount of
electromagnetic radiation reflected, emitted, or scattered from objects.
• A variety of sensors, operating throughout the electromagnetic
spectrum from visible to microwave wavelengths, are commonly
employed to obtain measurements.
• The platforms on which these instruments are mounted are similarly
diverse. e.g., Earth-orbiting satellites and fixed-wing aircraft,
helicopters, etc.
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 Primary geographic data collection - Raster data capture

A. Remote sensing
• Resolution is a key physical characteristic of remote sensing systems.
• There are three aspects to resolution: spatial, spectral, and temporal.
• Spatial resolution refers to the size of object that can be resolved and
the most usual measure is the pixel size.
• Spectral resolution refers to the parts of the electromagnetic
spectrum that are measured.
• Temporal resolution describes the frequency with which images are
collected for the same area.

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 Primary geographic data collection - Raster data capture

A. Remote sensing
Spectral Resolution

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 Primary geographic data collection - Raster data capture

B. Aerial Photography
• It is the act of taking pictures (using cameras) while flying in an
aircraft, balloons, or helicopters but it also requires a human to take
the picture.
• While both processes (remote sensing and aerial photography) can
produce digital images:
✓Satellite images (remote sensing) have greater large-scale scientific
applications (disaster management, agriculture)
✓Aerial photography has greater small-scale (taken at a lower altitude)
commercial applications (real estate properties).

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 Primary geographic data collection - Vector data capture

A. Surveying
• Ground surveying is based on the principle that the 3-D location of
any point can be determined by measuring angles and distances from
other known points.
• Total stations that can measure both angles and distances to an
accuracy of 1 mm
• Ground survey is a very time-consuming and expensive activity, but it
is still the best way to obtain highly accurate point locations.
• Typically used for capturing buildings, land and property boundaries,
manholes, etc.

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Primary geographic data collection - Vector data capture
A. Surveying - Total Station

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 Primary geographic data collection - Vector data capture

B. Global Positioning System (GPS)

• Consists of a system of 24 satellites, each orbiting the Earth every 12 hours on distinct orbits
at a height of 20 200km and transmitting radio pulses at very precisely timed intervals.
• Position in a receiver is determined by precise calculations from:
✓the satellite signals,
✓the known positions of the satellites,
✓the velocity of light.
• Position in the three dimesions (latitude, longitude and elevation) requires that at least
4 satellites are above the horizon.
✓Accuracy depends on the number of satellites and their positions
• These locations can be collected as individual points or can be linked together to form lines or
polygons depending on user preference.

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 Primary geographic data collection - Vector data capture

B. GPS- How it works

• Earth is continuously circled by 24

GPS satellites
• A GPS receiver listens for signals
which give the satellites’ location
and the exact time of sending.
• Position is determined by knowing
the object’s distance from at least
four known points (4 satellites)

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 Secondary geographic data collection - Raster data capture

Scanning
• Film and paper
maps, aerial
photographs, and
images are
scanned and
georeferenced so
that they provide
geographic
context.

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 Secondary geographic data collection - Vector data capture

• Manual digitizing method:

✓Tablet Digitizing
✓Heads-up Digitizing
• Automated digitizing method:
✓Vectorization: the process of converting raster data into vector
data using image processing and pattern recognition techniques.

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 Secondary geographic data collection - Vector data capture
A. Tablet Digitizing
• A paper map is secured to a back-lit
digitizing tablet. The backlight allows
all features on the map to be easily
observed, which reduces eyestrain.
• The coordinates of the point, line,
and/or polygon features on the
paper map are then entered into a
digital file as the user employs a
puck, which is similar to a
multibutton mouse to “click” their
way around the vertices of each
desired feature.
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 Secondary geographic data collection - Vector data capture

B. Heads-up Digitizing
• Referred to as “on-screen”
digitizing.
• Can be used on either paper
maps or existing digital files.
✓paper maps must be scanned
first.
• The user simply zooms to
specific areas on the map and
traces the points, lines, and/or
polygons.

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 Obtaining data from external sources (Data transfer)

• All the preceding discussion has been concerned with techniques for
building databases from primary and secondary sources.
• Data transfer focuses on how to import or transfer data into a GIS
that has been captured by others.
• The best way to find geographical data is to search the Internet using
one of the specialist geographical search engines.
✓e.g., US NSDI Clearinghouse (http://www.fgdc.gov)
✓e.g., MapWorld (China) (http://www.tianditu.cn)
✓Others:
o ESRI Data: http://www.esri.com
o China Data Center, University of Michigan: http://chinadatacenter.org

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Obtaining data from external sources (Data transfer)

ESRI Data

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 Obtaining data from external sources (Data transfer)

• One of the biggest problems Translation

with data obtained from
external sources is that they
can be encoded in many
different formats.
• There are so many different Source file Intermediate file Display in GIS
geographic data formats application
because no single format is
appropriate for all tasks and Direct read
applications.
• Data can be transferred
between systems by direct
read into memory or via an
intermediate file format. Source file Display in GIS
application

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 Obtaining data from external sources (Data transfer)

Data exchange using translators

• Directly translating data back Program 1 Program 2
and forth between the internal
structures of two systems T T

requires two new translators

Program 6 T T Program 3
(A to B, B to A).
• Adding two further systems T T

will require 12 translators to

share data between all Program 5 Program 4

systems.
T = Translator

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 Obtaining data from external sources (Data transfer)

Data exchange using a standard

• The most efficient way to translate Program 1 Program 2
data between systems is usually
via a common intermediate file T T
format.
• Systems now need only to Program 6 T SDTS T Program 3
translate to and from the common
format. T T

• The example of four systems will

now need only eight translators Program 5 Program 4
instead of 12 (A to Neutral, B to
Neutral, C to Neutral, D to Neutral, T = Translator
Neutral to A, Neutral to B, Neutral
to C, and Neutral to D).
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