GIS EXAM UPDATED Exam Questions and
CORRECT Answers
What is GIS? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - Hardware, software, spatial
and attribute data, procedures for data management, analyses and implementation, people to
operate the GIS
What is Spatial Data? - CORRECT ANSWER - Data or information that identifies the
geographic location of features and boundaries on Earth
What is Attribute Data? - CORRECT ANSWER - Gives information about non-
geographical characteristics, for example details of temperature, wind speed or direction
Characteristics of spatial data
What is Spatial referencing? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - Areas that share a common boundary
CORRECT Answers
What is GIS? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - Hardware, software, spatial
and attribute data, procedures for data management, analyses and implementation, people to
operate the GIS
What is Spatial Data? - CORRECT ANSWER - Data or information that identifies the
geographic location of features and boundaries on Earth
What is Attribute Data? - CORRECT ANSWER - Gives information about non-
geographical characteristics, for example details of temperature, wind speed or direction
Characteristics of spatial data
What is Spatial referencing? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT
ANSWER - 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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? - CORRECT ANSWER - 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 - CORRECT ANSWER - Areas that share a common boundary
