- A computer systems that allows us to handle information about the location of features or phenomena on the Earth's surface
- Has all the functionality of a conventional DBMS plus much of the functionality of a computer mapping system
- GIS as a DBMS that allows us to explicitly handle the spatial
- Common examples:
ArcGIS
MapInfo
2. GIS: A tool - kit
Manipulate spatially:
Calculate distances and adjacencies
Change projections and scales
Integrate disparate sources
Analyse spatially:
Quantitative analysis
Exploratory spatial data analysis
Qualitative analysis
Visualize data:
Maps!
Tables, graphs, etc.
Animations
Virtual landscapes
3. Approach:
Explore the database:
In conventional ways
AND geographically
- Allows us to think about the implications of location
- Allows us to think holistically
- Should not be restricted by vendor - provided functionality
- Should be used imaginatively taking into account
- the advantages and limitations of geographical information
- the traditions of humanities scholarship