1. GIS #4

2.

GIS combines three words:

Geography

+

Information

+

System

FromGIS in Schoolsby Richard Audet and Gail Ludwig - Page 6 3. Geography

Geography is the science that relates to all the features and processes that occur on the surface of the earth.

FromGIS in Schoolsby Richard Audet and Gail Ludwig - Page 6 4. Information

Information is the heart of GIS, where vast amounts of data are stored and analyzed.

FromGIS in Schoolsby Richard Audet and Gail Ludwig - Page 6 5. System

System is what connects everything - the computer, the data, and the human operator - all working together to ask questions, discover answers, and display them in ways that promote understanding of what it means to live on the earth.

FromGIS in Schoolsby Richard Audet and Gail Ludwig - Page 6 6. GPS combines three words: Global + Position + System 7. Global

Satellites broadcast the signals around the entire world so as long as you are someplace outside without too much cloud cover, your GPS unit should receive signals.

8. Global Position

Location (position) in the world (global) in three dimensions (3-D):

Latitude LongitudeAltitude

9. Latitude

The angle north or south of the equatorial plane

Parallels lines of latitude that measure locations in the N-S direction on the geographic coordinate system

10. Longitude

The angle east or west from the prime meridian

Meridians lines of longitude that measure locations in the E-W direction on the geographic coordinate system

11. Altitude

The height above sea level on Earth

1524 m 2438 m 3505 m 4572 m 5486 m 6069 m 7620 m 9144 m 12.