Geographical Information Systems

Geog 481/506                                                                                                  Tu Th 3:30-4:50pm
Fall 2011                                                                                                          Fillmore 170

Instructor: Ling Bian                                                                                          LabA: Tue:   5-6:20pm, W145, Chunyuan Diao
Office: 120 Wilkeson                                                                                        LabB: Thur:  6:30-7:50pm, W145, Tong Sun
Office hours: Tu Th 2-3pm  or by appt.                                                             LabC: Fri:  10-11:20am, W145, Tong Sun

GIS Software

1. The early GISs

SURFACE II, by Kansa Geological Survey
SYMAP, by Harvard Laboratory for Computer Graphics and Spatial Analysis
 
2. Major GIS software packages
ArcGIS (ARC/INFO), Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)
            A long lived, full function GIS
            With hundreds of sophisticated tools for map automation, data conversion,
            database management, map overlay and spatial analysis, interactive display and query,

            graphic editing, and address geocoding
            A relational database interface
            Changed to object-oriented design in version 8+
            Use Visual basic as the programming language and will change in version 10
 
Autodesk MapGuide, Autodesk Inc.
            Built on the capabilities of AutoCAD
            Extensively used in planning, engineering, and architecture

            Supports topology, Oracle and SQL query, and grids/images
            Extensive tools for coordinate conversion, map editing and digitizing

            Allows open architecture  
 
GRASS (Graphic Resources Analysis Support System)
            Developed by the US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories (CERL)
           The headquarters is at Baylor University after CERL terminated GRASS work in 1996
           Presently listed as an official project of the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo)

           The first Unix based GIS, using raster data
           It is a free software with an open architecture
 
IDRISI, Clark University Graduate School of Geography
            A not-for profit operation
            A raster GIS, with an open architecture
            Image processing and spatial statistical analysis
            time-series analysis, spatial decision support, uncertainty analysis, fuzzy analysis
 
MapInfo, MapInfo Corporation, now Pitney Bowes Business Insight
            Sart out as a less than full-blown GIS, data ready
            Suited to economic, political, cultural, industrial applications
 
Maptitude, Caliper Corporation
            Related to TransCAD, GIS-Plus GIS
            Come with geocoded and system-ready data
            Allow creation and maintenance of database, 
            Analysis of geographic relationship, and map display
 
Geomedia, Intergraph Corporation
            A layer based GIS
            With a set of modules for different functions

            There are additional extensions for land information,

            Parcel management, public works, and transportation
            Maintains topologically clean data without building topology
            Use Orical and SQL for attribute data

3. Picking up a GIS software
            Cost
            Training
            Manual
            User support group
            Software maintenance