GIS Basics
What is GIS?
Geographic Information Systems.
A single Coordinate pair (x,y) defines what type of feature?
Point
What is metadata?
Data about the data.
Who/what/when/where
Is this a good or bad pathway? Why? C:\Users\Charles\Desktop\School\GIS 201\Lab07\My_Lab_07_On_GPS_Coordinate_Systems!!
Terrible. This breaks almost every Mel/Russ rule!
Why should you not upload a *.mxd file for Mel to grade your lab from?
*.mxd files store collections of data for viewing and analysis, but does not actually store data.
What is the difference between vector and raster data?
Raster: Grid
Vector: Points, lines, polygons
"Raster is faster but vector is better"
What is the difference between the define projection tool and the project tool?
Define Projection: Updates the label for CooSys, Updates original data (no new data created), does NOT change actual coordinates
Project: Changes actual coordinates for data, creates new dataset with new permanent CooSys.
What are the different data types other than Interval?
Nominal, Categorical, Ordinal, Ratio
Which file is most ideal to load into ArcGIS as a table *.xls, *.xlsx, or *.csv?
*.csv
Map projection depends on _____
The objective of the map.
What must spatial data contain?
A X,Y coordinate.
True or False: Both raster and vector data rely on x-y values to locate data to a particular spot of the Earth's surface.
True! The choice in how to store this x-y values is called a coordinate system.
Whats the difference between Discrete and Continuous data?
Discrete represents objects as lines or polygons, has relatively few values that may change abruptly at boundaries, and adjacent cells often have same values. Continuous data has thousands or millions of potential values, few adjacent cells have same values, and values may change rapidly from cell to cell.
What does a *.lyr file store?
It stores layer symbology.
How do you fix a red exclamation point?
How many attributes can one cell of a raster hold?
One.
What steps would you take to fix data that is not properly defined?
Determine if a mismatch exists
Determine the actual CooSys, if possible
Define the label correctly
Test to see if the alignment problem is fixed.
What is the difference between interval and ratio data?
Ratio data has a significant zero point, whereas interval has an arbitrary zero.
How many fields can a single attribute have?
Unlimited
What are the three parts of the GIS process?
Data acquisition, data processing, and information output
What three things are necessary for Geographic data?
Spatial data, Attribute Data, and metadata
Conformal, equal-area, equidistant, and true-direction minimize distortion in which ways?
Conformal: minimizes shape distortion
Equal-area: minimizes area distortion
Equidistant: minimizes distance distortion
True-direction: minimizes azimuth(direction) distortion
What is normalization? Give me 2 examples of normalization
Normalization “adjusts” the data or puts it
into context.
–Population/square mile
–TV’s – TV’s/household
–Miles of interstate / state area
What are the three main file extensions needed for a shapefile?
*.shp—The main file that stores the feature geometry; required. *.shx—The index file that stores the index of the feature geometry; required.
*.dbf—The dBASE table that stores the attribute information of features; required.
Place the steps of map design in the correct order:
Selecting the data, arranging the page, symbolizing the information, reviewing the map, editing to improve the map