GIS :GEOGRAPHIC

INFORMATION SYSTEM

M.N.Reddy

GIS :GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

SCIENCE
 What is GIS?
• A technology
– hardware & software tools

• An information handling
strategy

• The objective: to improve

overall decision making
 Why is GIS Important in
Agriculture?

• Most Many questions of

Agricultural Agricultural resource
data has a management deal with
spatial patterns and
spatial processes
component
GIS provides a method to:
• Analyse the spatial
component
• Display the data spatially
 Geo-Spatial Information Technology

• Geographical Information system(GIS)

• Global Positioning system(GPS )

• Remote Sensing(RS)
• Spatial Analysis and visualization
•: Web GIS
Geoinformatics
Geomatics
GIS = G +IS

= Geographic reference + Information

system
spatial
coordinates on Database
the surface of the
earth

All data in GIS must be linked

to a geographic reference
USGS Definition:

GIS is computer hardware and

software system designed to collect,
manage, analyze, and display spatially
(geographically) referenced data

GIS is a computer system capable of

holding and using data describing
places on the earth’s surface - ESRI
Conceptual Model of GIS

GIS
“themes,”
“layers,” or
“coverages”

The real
world
GIS – An integrating Technology
How a GIS holds data
•GIS holds spatial information in
independent map layers – single
phenomenon mapped across space
•integrates layers by registering
them to a common locational
reference (lat/long grid).
•thematic layers can all be made
visible at the same time or
selectively and linked by common
location
•allows overlaying to get
homogenous land units and other
types of information
• allows collating data from
several layers for any location
Fig Source: FAO
• allows spatial analysis
 GIS components
Computer
digitizer
scanner
GIS software
Spatial printer
data (ArcGIS; plotter

Geomedia;
GIS Idrisi; Grass etc.)

Computer hardware / Specific applications /

?
software tools decision making objectives
 GIS Applications & Information
on WEB

www. gisdevelopment.net

www. PPgis.net
www.grida.no/prog/global/cgiar/html
s/
awpack.htm
What a GIS can do:
Location :
What exists at a particular location ?
Conditions :
Where do certain conditions apply ?
Trends :
What changes have occurred over time ?
Spatial Patterns :
What spatial patterns exist ?
What if …:
What will be the consequences of decisions (GIS +
Models)-Spatial Decision Support Systems
GIS Applications in Agriculture
 Thematic Mapping
 Precision farming
 Land use planning
 Watershed modeling and management
 Characterization (Prioritization)
 Impact Assessment
 Irrigation modeling and management
 Resource inventory, mapping and
modelling
 Yield forecasting
 Basic Data Models
• Vector
– Objects represented as nodes
(X,Y points) and connecting
lines, attributes of objects
attached as database tables
• Raster
– Geographical space
represented as a grid of cells,
numerical values represent
attributes of each cell
Raster and Vector Data Models
Compared
 Vector and Raster data representation compared
• vector layers of 3 types:
points, lines/arcs,
polygons/areas
• raster layers define a
rectangular region by a
fine matrix of numeric
data values that describe
the character of
landscape
• vector layers describe a
small number of features
with a single attribute
value and coordinate
pairs that describe the
location or boundary of
Fig Source: http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes the feature
• raster layers describe
the totality of space
 7,10
5,9
10
9,8

Vector 1,6
4,7

6,6
8,6
polygon

Model 5 2,5

line 5,4

point
2,2 4,1

5 10
Land use parcels
RASTOR MODEL
Defining the coordinate system – map registration

Ground Control points (GCPs) +

coordinates
Grid/pixel geographic
y 1 (x1,y1) (lat1,long1)
2 (x2,y2) (lat2,long3)
3 (x3,y3) (lat3,long3)
4 (x4,y4) (lat4,long4)
0,0 x
fit a surface
New data can also be entered into a GIS in many
different ways, including:
– Digitizing from a digitizer
– GPS
– Surveys, via COGO (computer geometry
operations)
– Scanned images and Digitization
– Acquisition from remote sensing instrumentation
Vector overlay
Vector Overlay
Summary of Features of a
GIS:
A GIS reads maps and produces maps.
It can create maps in different scales,
projections and colours

But it is NOT just a computer system

for making maps

It is primarily an ANALYTICAL TOOL

that provides new ways of looking
at and analyzing data, by
projecting tabular data into maps
and integrating data from different
sources
Soi l Fer ti lity Map
 Map Scale

Scale: ratio of distances on map to distances

on earth’s surface

Representation:
Graphical: km

Verbal: 1 cm = 2.5 km

Numeric: 1:250000

Preferred representation: graphical

 Map scale determines the size and shape of
features

• Large scale city

1:500 1:24000

city
• Small scale 1:250000
1:24000

Source: ESRI
Standard Scales:
1:1000,000 Country level
1: 250,000 State level
1: 50,000 District level
1: 12,500 Micro level

Survey of India Maps (topographic maps) are

available at all scales except 1:12,500
 GIS use

Level-1 Resource Inventory

(Data Base Management)

Level-2Integration of Different Layers

(Overlay)

Level-3 Interfacing with

Analytical models
GIS based DSS for rainfed sorghum management
Crop Suitability – GIS and Remote
Sensing
GIS Facilities at NAARM

Case Study of Cotton Crop

 HOW GIS IS RELATED TO REMOTE
SENSING(RS)

RS : Provides Data Compatible to GIS

How to bring Satellite RS data to GIS ?

Subwatershed Proritization for
Watershed Management using
Remote Sensing asnd GIS

Objectives:
• To estimate the forest and soil loss of the
watershed
• To prioritize the subwatershed based on
its present condition, extent of degradation
•To recommend the subwatershed
conservation activities
General
 Geographic Data Model
• Conceptual Model – a set of concepts that describe
a subject and allow reasoning about it
• Mathematical Model – a conceptual model
expressed in symbols and equations
• Data Model – a conceptual model expressed in a
data structure (e.g. ascii files, Excel tables, …..)
• Geographic Data Model – a conceptual model for
describing and reasoning about the world
expressed in a GIS database