Let's start asking GIS related questions and get simple focused answers.
What is GIS?
Quite a starter question. GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems.
To put it in a more strict definition, GIS is a system of computer software, hardware, data, procedures and personnel combined to help, manipulate, analyze, and present information that is tied to a geographic location.
What is the value of GIS?
The value of a GIS comes when you are able to answer questions related to location, patterns, and conditions
Is GIS a map?
Not exactly. It contains maps or better can create maps. Think GIS as a set of systems and services that help you store, analyze, process and share geolocated data
What kind of software do I need to create a GIS?
There are numerous of choices. In principal they are divided into two big categories: open-source and commercial. QGIS for example is a very popular open-source GIS software, while ArcGIS is a very popular commercial GIS software.
What Is Geo-coding?
Geocoding is the process when you associate a place name, an address (or other kind of information) with map coordinates.
What are the major GIS functions?
- Data acquisition (spatial and non-spatial).
- Data processing (data management).
- Data analysis (Spatial & statistical analysis).
- Data storage (Store data more efficiently).
- Data output (Maps, graphs, tables, reports).
What are the main components of a GIS?
To create and maintain a GIS, you will need: data, servers (or access to cloud services), software and most importantly people with GIS skills and methodology.
What is the difference between GIS commands and GIS tools?
Commands do not require interaction with the map, they just rely on surface. Tools on the other hand require interaction with the map canvas.
What is the digitizing process?
Converting geographic data either from a hard-copy or a scanned image into vector data by tracing the features.
How are vectors connected to other lines?
With a node, which marks the point of intersection.
Can you give me a few examples of metadata?
GIS data author, contact information, source agency, map projection and coordinate system, scale, explanation of symbology and attributes and licensing.
In general metadata are the data that accompany the data of interest. For the GIS domain metadata are considered information as presented above, while data are the spatial part of the information.
What is a thematic raster dataset?
It is a raster whose values represent a specific phenomenon or parameter. For example a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is a thematic raster dataset. Each cell presents a pixel size in meters.
What is a point feature?
It has zero dimensions, therefore you can measure (for example) the distance between them.
What is a polygon feature?
A polygon is a set of points connected to each other forming a closed shape.
What are the main processes that can be applied on vector data?
Clip, union, intersect, re-project, dissolve.
Clip is the process of "cutting" the data spatially to a defined geographic region
Union is the process of merging multiple vector dataset to a single vector dataset.
Intersect is process of combining two vector datasets. The result of this combination is the creation of new spatial features. The boundaries of these new spatial features are the combination (or better intersection) of the initial boundaries.
