Image source: "Binary World" from Microsoft clipart (2015)
As you know, GIS is a powerful tool that can be used to create, manipulate, organize, store, and manage data. This lesson will focus on one of the main components of a GIS, which is data.
Data are given facts about a phenomenon. Data can be created, derived or extracted from other data or obtained from organizations or agencies. A GIS also serves as a mechanism to synthesize data, by affording the opportunity to overlay layers of data in order to display and acquire information. This lesson begins with a brief review of the common data types and then goes into detail about common methods to create and synthesize data.
| [Key point] Spatial data is data that is connected to a location (via a reference system). Just like any other discipline, especially the sciences, data is necessary in geography to create and test theories. Data can consist of numbers or text about some phenomena. When this data is collected for a specific purpose (for example, to test a theory), it becomes information. |
Image source: "Binary World" from Microsoft clipart (2015)
References used on this page:
- Walford, N. (2002). Geographical data: Characteristics and sources. West Sussex, England: Wiley.