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INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
STUDY GUIDE EXAM #1 SPRING 2008
AN INTRODUCTION TO GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (Chapters 1-4,9)
The following are topics, concepts, and terms that you should be able to define,
identify and describe:
Geographic Information System – definitions
History of GIS – what was the origination of GIS? Why?
Coordinate Systems – what kind are there?
Projections – what are these? How do they affect the display of data in a map?
Datums – what are these? How do we use them in GIS?
Examples of applications and uses of GIS
Limitations of a paper map
What is georeferenced data?
Vector vs Raster? What’s the difference?
Components of geographic data, spatial data,
Why Use a GIS?
GIS vs. CAD vs. DBMS vs. Computer Mapping
Data Management: types of database models, what are spatial primitives? What are the
two types of database management systems? How do they differ? What are the three
data models used and which one does ArcGIS prefer? How does the relational data model
work?
What is the difference between data and information? Information systems have four
principle components: what are they? Which one is the most expensive and therefore the
most ‘valuable’? Why?
How are Categorical relationships defined? What is the difference in the classification
systems identified as: nominal, ordinal, ratio, and interval?
What are the two types of Spatial relationships? How does topological differ from
proximity?
In Raster data – what is a TIN? How is it used – for what purpose? What is a quadtree or
hierarchical tessellation? How is
In Vector data – what is a “Spaghetti Model”? What is a hierarchical vector data model?
What is the ‘topological model’? What is the georelational data model? How do Boolean
operations work?