GIS Final Exam Actual Questions and Answers New 2023
Solved Correctly and well explained
What is GIS?
Definition must involve three elements: (1) GIS is a computer system, (2) GIS uses
spatially referenced or geographical data, (3) GIS carries out various management and
analysis tasks on these data
A geographic information system is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate,
analyse, manage, and present spatial or geographic data
Why GIS can be difficult to define?
Difficult to define because any definition of GIS will depend on who is giving it and their
background and stance; definition also likely to change as technology advances
GIS is frequently used in applications such as siting new industrial
developments; What are the advantages of using GIS in this context?
After identifying relevant siting factors and collecting appropriate data, digitising of data
is possible
GIS software can be used to combine data layers, representing different siting criteria
After this overlay, the result is a map showing a number of locations suitable for the
siting of a new industrial development
All of this would be difficult/impossible to do so by hand
What type of questions could GIS help environmental managers address?
Where particular features are located;
What geographical patterns exist;
Where have changes occurred over a given period;
Where do certain conditions apply;
What will the spatial implications be if an organisation takes certain action
What are the components of GIS?
Hardware, software, spatial and attribute data, procedures for data management,
analyses and implementation, people to operate the GIS
What is Spatial Data?
Data or information that identifies the geographic location of features and boundaries on
Earth
What is Attribute Data?
Gives information about non-geographical characteristics, for example details of
temperature, wind speed or direction
Characteristics of spatial data
What is Spatial referencing?
Can be used to describe position. For example if the latitude and longitude of an object
are known, the relative position of other objects and the proximity to features of interest
can be deduced
, What are Spatial entities?
To work in a GIS environment, real world observations (objects or events that can be
recorded in 2D or 3D space) need to be reduced to spatial entities.
Can be simplified into three basic spatial entity types: points, lines, areas
What is the difference between a GIS and geographical information science?
GIS is the analysis, storage, visualisation and management of geographic data;
Geographical information science is the technical implementation of GIS; involves
conceptual ideas for how to implement a GIS
Explain the difference between data and information
Data can be described as facts that have no particular meaning
Information is data with meaning and context
What are the three basic spatial entities and how are they used to portray
geographical features; what are their relative advantages and disadvantages?
Points: used to represent features that are too small to be an area in the map at the
scale being used. They are represented by a pair of coordinates (x,y) and can store
attributes giving additional information of the feature (what it is, status, etc).
Lines: used to represent features that are linear in nature; ordered set of coordinates
Areas: represent a closed set of lines in which the inside represents the phenomena
Entity chosen to represent a spatial feature will depend on the scale used
Explain the differences between geographic and rectangular coordinate systems.
What are their relative advantages and disadvantages?
Geographic Coordinate System: location of any point can be defined by a reference
using lines of longitude and latitude
- Advantages: all features on the surface of the Earth can be located relative to another
and the distance between them calculated
- Disadvantages: image distorted when projected from a sphere onto a flat surface
Rectangular Coordinate System: projecting the lines of latitude or longitude from our
representation of the world as a globe onto a flat surface using a map projection. The
lines of latitude and longitude become the grid lines on a flat map.
- Advantages: graphic representations are realistic, providing the studied area is not too
big
- Disadvantages: potential for distortion; when you project from a sphere onto a flat
surface the image becomes distorted.
What is adjacency
Areas that share a common boundary
What is containment
Features being wholly contained within another feature, island within a lake example
What is connectivity
Solved Correctly and well explained
What is GIS?
Definition must involve three elements: (1) GIS is a computer system, (2) GIS uses
spatially referenced or geographical data, (3) GIS carries out various management and
analysis tasks on these data
A geographic information system is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate,
analyse, manage, and present spatial or geographic data
Why GIS can be difficult to define?
Difficult to define because any definition of GIS will depend on who is giving it and their
background and stance; definition also likely to change as technology advances
GIS is frequently used in applications such as siting new industrial
developments; What are the advantages of using GIS in this context?
After identifying relevant siting factors and collecting appropriate data, digitising of data
is possible
GIS software can be used to combine data layers, representing different siting criteria
After this overlay, the result is a map showing a number of locations suitable for the
siting of a new industrial development
All of this would be difficult/impossible to do so by hand
What type of questions could GIS help environmental managers address?
Where particular features are located;
What geographical patterns exist;
Where have changes occurred over a given period;
Where do certain conditions apply;
What will the spatial implications be if an organisation takes certain action
What are the components of GIS?
Hardware, software, spatial and attribute data, procedures for data management,
analyses and implementation, people to operate the GIS
What is Spatial Data?
Data or information that identifies the geographic location of features and boundaries on
Earth
What is Attribute Data?
Gives information about non-geographical characteristics, for example details of
temperature, wind speed or direction
Characteristics of spatial data
What is Spatial referencing?
Can be used to describe position. For example if the latitude and longitude of an object
are known, the relative position of other objects and the proximity to features of interest
can be deduced
, What are Spatial entities?
To work in a GIS environment, real world observations (objects or events that can be
recorded in 2D or 3D space) need to be reduced to spatial entities.
Can be simplified into three basic spatial entity types: points, lines, areas
What is the difference between a GIS and geographical information science?
GIS is the analysis, storage, visualisation and management of geographic data;
Geographical information science is the technical implementation of GIS; involves
conceptual ideas for how to implement a GIS
Explain the difference between data and information
Data can be described as facts that have no particular meaning
Information is data with meaning and context
What are the three basic spatial entities and how are they used to portray
geographical features; what are their relative advantages and disadvantages?
Points: used to represent features that are too small to be an area in the map at the
scale being used. They are represented by a pair of coordinates (x,y) and can store
attributes giving additional information of the feature (what it is, status, etc).
Lines: used to represent features that are linear in nature; ordered set of coordinates
Areas: represent a closed set of lines in which the inside represents the phenomena
Entity chosen to represent a spatial feature will depend on the scale used
Explain the differences between geographic and rectangular coordinate systems.
What are their relative advantages and disadvantages?
Geographic Coordinate System: location of any point can be defined by a reference
using lines of longitude and latitude
- Advantages: all features on the surface of the Earth can be located relative to another
and the distance between them calculated
- Disadvantages: image distorted when projected from a sphere onto a flat surface
Rectangular Coordinate System: projecting the lines of latitude or longitude from our
representation of the world as a globe onto a flat surface using a map projection. The
lines of latitude and longitude become the grid lines on a flat map.
- Advantages: graphic representations are realistic, providing the studied area is not too
big
- Disadvantages: potential for distortion; when you project from a sphere onto a flat
surface the image becomes distorted.
What is adjacency
Areas that share a common boundary
What is containment
Features being wholly contained within another feature, island within a lake example
What is connectivity
