GISP STUDY QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100% ACCURATE
Georeferencing - ANSWER-101- associating a map or image with spatial location
control points - ANSWER-101- points come in pairs that match the spatial location with
a point on an unreferenced image or map
Spatial Reference Systems (SRS) - ANSWER-101- coordinate based local, regional, or
global system used to location geographical entities (aka Coordinate Reference System
(CRS))
Coordinate Reference System (CRS) - ANSWER-101- coordinate based local, regional,
or global system used to location geographical entities (aka Spatial Reference Systems
(SRS))
International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS) - ANSWER-101- a three-dimensional
coordinate system with a well-defined origin (the center of mass of the Earth) and three
orthogonal coordinate axes (X,Y,Z)
Map projection - ANSWER-101- transforming coordinated from a curved surface (Earth)
to a flat map
Horizontal datum - ANSWER-101- model of the earth as a spheroid (2 components,
reference ellipsoid and a set of survey points both the shape of the spheroid and its
position relative to the earth)
Vertical Datum - ANSWER-101- reference point for measuring elevations
NAVD88 - ANSWER-101- Gravity based geodetic datum in North America
WGS 84 (World Geodetic System) - ANSWER-101- reference coordinate system used
by the Global Positioning System (GPS)
SRID integer - ANSWER-101- Spatial reference system id numbers, including EPSG
codes defined by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers
types of distortion - ANSWER-101- Distance, Direction, Shape, Area (sometimes
bearing and scale)
Mercator Projection- distortions - ANSWER-101- preserves shape and direction, area
gets distorted
,Mercator Projection - ANSWER-101- projecting the Earth onto a cylinder tangent to a
meridian
Azimuthal Projection- distortions - ANSWER-101- distance from center is true, other
properties distort with distance
Azimuthal Projection - ANSWER-101- planar or tangent (meaning they are formed when
a flat piece of paper is placed on top of the globe and a light source projects the
surrounding areas on to a map.) Either the North Pole or the South pole is orientated at
the center of the map, giving the viewer an impression of looking up or down at Earth.
Cylindrical Projection- distortions - ANSWER-101- preserve area and shape, distance
gets distorted, especially on upper and lower regions of the map
Cylindrical Projection - ANSWER-101- 2 types Tangent (1 intersect) and Secant (2
intersects)
Straight meridians and parallels
meridians are equally spaced while parallels are not
Geoid - ANSWER-103- the shape that the surface of the oceans would take under the
influence of Earth's gravitation and rotation alone (absent of the influence of wind or
tide)
Mean Sea Level (MSL) - ANSWER-103- is determined by referencing the geoid model
which registers ocean's water level at coastal places using tide gauges
Reference Ellipsoid - ANSWER-103- is a mathematically defined surface that
approximates the geoid (a truer model of shape that geoid)
oblate ellipsoid - ANSWER-103- fits the geiod model to a first order approximation
formed when an ellipse is rotated about its minor axis (The shape of the Earth, slightly
bulging at the Equator.)
Conical Projection- distortions - ANSWER-101- preserves direction and area in limited
areas, distorts distance and scale except along standard parallels
Conic Projections - ANSWER-101- mapped to equally spaced lines by projecting a
spherical surface onto a cone
Choosing a Projection- Low LATITUDE, (near Equator) - ANSWER-101- use conical
projection
Choosing a Projection- High LATITUDE, Polar Regions - ANSWER-101- use azimuthal
planar projections
, Choosing a Projection- EXTENT, broad East-West (e.g. USA) - ANSWER-101- use
conical projection
Choosing a Projection- EXTENT, broad North-South (e.g. Africa) - ANSWER-101- use
transverse-case cylindrical projection
Choosing a Projection- THEMATIC, analysis that compares different values in different
locations - ANSWER-101- use an equal-area projection
Discrete features - ANSWER-102- feature has a definable boundary (think, "vector")
continuous phenomena - ANSWER-102- each location is a measure of something, often
temperature or elevation (think "raster", but not always)
sphere - ANSWER-103- can be seen from dimensions of the Earth ellipsoid
the semi-major axis (a) and semi-minor axis (b) differ by little more than 21 kilometers
first (direct) geodetic problem - ANSWER-103- Given a point (coordinates) and direction
(azimuth) and distance from that point to a second point, determine the coordinates of a
second point
Be prepared for Word Problems like this one
Second (inverse) geodetic problem - ANSWER-103- given two points, determine the
azimuth and length of the line that connects them (line may be straight, arc, or
geodesic)
Be prepared for Word Problems like this one
Geomatics - ANSWER-104- branch of science (and technology) of collection, analysis,
interpretation of geographic information
(includes surveying, mapping, remote sensing, GIS, GPS)
GPS (global positioning system) - ANSWER-104- A system that determines the precise
position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and
receivers.
Spatial Modeling - ANSWER-201- A methodology or set of analytical procedures used
to derive information about spatial relationships between geographic phenomena.
Types of spatial models - ANSWER-201-
Vector
Raster
Pixel
Geodatabase
Grid
TIN
ANSWERS 100% ACCURATE
Georeferencing - ANSWER-101- associating a map or image with spatial location
control points - ANSWER-101- points come in pairs that match the spatial location with
a point on an unreferenced image or map
Spatial Reference Systems (SRS) - ANSWER-101- coordinate based local, regional, or
global system used to location geographical entities (aka Coordinate Reference System
(CRS))
Coordinate Reference System (CRS) - ANSWER-101- coordinate based local, regional,
or global system used to location geographical entities (aka Spatial Reference Systems
(SRS))
International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS) - ANSWER-101- a three-dimensional
coordinate system with a well-defined origin (the center of mass of the Earth) and three
orthogonal coordinate axes (X,Y,Z)
Map projection - ANSWER-101- transforming coordinated from a curved surface (Earth)
to a flat map
Horizontal datum - ANSWER-101- model of the earth as a spheroid (2 components,
reference ellipsoid and a set of survey points both the shape of the spheroid and its
position relative to the earth)
Vertical Datum - ANSWER-101- reference point for measuring elevations
NAVD88 - ANSWER-101- Gravity based geodetic datum in North America
WGS 84 (World Geodetic System) - ANSWER-101- reference coordinate system used
by the Global Positioning System (GPS)
SRID integer - ANSWER-101- Spatial reference system id numbers, including EPSG
codes defined by the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers
types of distortion - ANSWER-101- Distance, Direction, Shape, Area (sometimes
bearing and scale)
Mercator Projection- distortions - ANSWER-101- preserves shape and direction, area
gets distorted
,Mercator Projection - ANSWER-101- projecting the Earth onto a cylinder tangent to a
meridian
Azimuthal Projection- distortions - ANSWER-101- distance from center is true, other
properties distort with distance
Azimuthal Projection - ANSWER-101- planar or tangent (meaning they are formed when
a flat piece of paper is placed on top of the globe and a light source projects the
surrounding areas on to a map.) Either the North Pole or the South pole is orientated at
the center of the map, giving the viewer an impression of looking up or down at Earth.
Cylindrical Projection- distortions - ANSWER-101- preserve area and shape, distance
gets distorted, especially on upper and lower regions of the map
Cylindrical Projection - ANSWER-101- 2 types Tangent (1 intersect) and Secant (2
intersects)
Straight meridians and parallels
meridians are equally spaced while parallels are not
Geoid - ANSWER-103- the shape that the surface of the oceans would take under the
influence of Earth's gravitation and rotation alone (absent of the influence of wind or
tide)
Mean Sea Level (MSL) - ANSWER-103- is determined by referencing the geoid model
which registers ocean's water level at coastal places using tide gauges
Reference Ellipsoid - ANSWER-103- is a mathematically defined surface that
approximates the geoid (a truer model of shape that geoid)
oblate ellipsoid - ANSWER-103- fits the geiod model to a first order approximation
formed when an ellipse is rotated about its minor axis (The shape of the Earth, slightly
bulging at the Equator.)
Conical Projection- distortions - ANSWER-101- preserves direction and area in limited
areas, distorts distance and scale except along standard parallels
Conic Projections - ANSWER-101- mapped to equally spaced lines by projecting a
spherical surface onto a cone
Choosing a Projection- Low LATITUDE, (near Equator) - ANSWER-101- use conical
projection
Choosing a Projection- High LATITUDE, Polar Regions - ANSWER-101- use azimuthal
planar projections
, Choosing a Projection- EXTENT, broad East-West (e.g. USA) - ANSWER-101- use
conical projection
Choosing a Projection- EXTENT, broad North-South (e.g. Africa) - ANSWER-101- use
transverse-case cylindrical projection
Choosing a Projection- THEMATIC, analysis that compares different values in different
locations - ANSWER-101- use an equal-area projection
Discrete features - ANSWER-102- feature has a definable boundary (think, "vector")
continuous phenomena - ANSWER-102- each location is a measure of something, often
temperature or elevation (think "raster", but not always)
sphere - ANSWER-103- can be seen from dimensions of the Earth ellipsoid
the semi-major axis (a) and semi-minor axis (b) differ by little more than 21 kilometers
first (direct) geodetic problem - ANSWER-103- Given a point (coordinates) and direction
(azimuth) and distance from that point to a second point, determine the coordinates of a
second point
Be prepared for Word Problems like this one
Second (inverse) geodetic problem - ANSWER-103- given two points, determine the
azimuth and length of the line that connects them (line may be straight, arc, or
geodesic)
Be prepared for Word Problems like this one
Geomatics - ANSWER-104- branch of science (and technology) of collection, analysis,
interpretation of geographic information
(includes surveying, mapping, remote sensing, GIS, GPS)
GPS (global positioning system) - ANSWER-104- A system that determines the precise
position of something on Earth through a series of satellites, tracking stations, and
receivers.
Spatial Modeling - ANSWER-201- A methodology or set of analytical procedures used
to derive information about spatial relationships between geographic phenomena.
Types of spatial models - ANSWER-201-
Vector
Raster
Pixel
Geodatabase
Grid
TIN
