Development Of Geographic Information System Research Articles

The development of an interactive multi-scale GIS

This paper presents the development of the first geographical information system (GIS) that may be used to manipulate a single dataset at a very large range of scales (different detail levels). The design of this multi-scale GIS is fully integrated in the open DBMS Postgres and the open GIS GEO++. Besides the system design, this paper also gives details of the implementation in the Postgres DBMS environment of three generalization tools: 1. the BLG-tree for line and area simplification, 2. the Reactive-tree for selection based on importance and location, and 3. the GAP-tree for solving problems when using the other two structures for an area partitioning. -from Authors

The integration of socioeconomic and physical resource data for applied land management information systems

Geographic information systems (GIS) have been seen as an important enabling technology in the integration of satellite remote sensing and more conventional forms of land use information. The development of GIS has closely followed perceived application needs in physical geography and led to the implementation of numerous digital databases for land resources management. However, data relating to the human population and its socioeconomic characteristics have been poorly integrated with these advances for a number of reasons. Geographic information processing in the social sciences has tended to lag behind the development of systems for physical applications and, at a more fundamental level, there are important differences in the way in which socioeconomic phenomena have been conceptualized and modelled. Nevertheless, an understanding of the distribution and characteristics of human activity has an increasingly important role to play in many questions relating to the management of the physical environment. This paper seeks to demonstrate the application of some developments in socioeconomic analysis using GIS to integrate conventional physical resource data with socioeconomic information in the context of land use planning. These involve the modelling and analysis of population information in a raster GIS environment, incorporating contemporary geodemographic techniques and providing valuable information on the analysis of settlement and neighbourhood patterns and the distribution of residential, commercial and industrial activities.

GIS in Italian urban planning

The paper presents the findings of research into the implementation and use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Italian local authority planning departments. The first part provides contextual information and available data on the diffusion of GIS in Italian local government. This is followed by a discussion of two detailed case-studies undertaken in cities already having 10 years experience in GIS development and use. Based on the findings of these case-studies, and on the earlier evidence presented, the paper suggests that the view of GIS as a “tool” for more rational decision-making, and increased efficiency and effectiveness, may be particularly inappropriate in countries in which these values do not receive high priority. Instead, GIS appears to be a malleable resource able to serve different agendas, through both its technical and symbolic use. In this context, the view of computing as a “package” appears to be useful in explaining some of the characteristics of the cases investigated. Three sets of factors are confirmed as having an important influence on the implementation and use of GIS: the organizational context, people, and environmental stability. In addition, the paper argues that a fourth element, cultural values, plays an important part in shaping the implementation and use of GIS in a given context, and that its significance may be crucial in understanding the experiences of GIS in different countries even when technical solutions are similar.

GIS and Transportation: Canadian Perspective

There has been a significant interest in the application of geographic information systems (GIS) to address the special needs of the transportation industry during the past several years. Canada has been an aknowledged early leader in the development and application of GIS, particularly in the resource area. Extensive base mapping programs were initiated at both the federal and provincial government levels. Research into the special requirements of transportation agencies has not received the same level of attention and funding in Canada to date as that evidenced in the United States. Both countries have similar requirements, although they are attacking the problems from slightly differing perspectives. There is a strong case to be made for future cooperative efforts between the two countries.

Geographic Information Systems for Urban Applications: Problems and Solutions

Geographic information systems (GIS) are designed as general-purpose systems to manage spatial information. They are similar to commercial database management systems except for their strong spatial context. This recent technology has inspired many users who have, for generations, been faced with the difficult task of making decisions based on spatial information. The development, design, and functions of GIS are reviewed. Then effectiveness of contemporary GIS in managing spatial information in an urban environment is evaluated. In particular, special problems caused by high data density and multilayer organisation are examined. A solution to these problems demands special display, database query, and data-organisation components of a GIS. An application using CARIS (Computer Aided Resource Information System), a GIS developed in Fredericton, New Brunswick, is presented. This application illustrates the concept of a multilayered GIS with which databases of progressive detail can be vertically linked to facilitate data query. (Author/TRRL)

Application of a low‐cost database to soil erosion and soil conservation studies in the Awash Basin, Ethiopia

AbstractIn large‐scale land resource planning exercises, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) form a valuable means of storing, retrieving, displaying, and analysing spatially‐referenced data, as well as enabling the simulation of the consequences of various alternative development options. However, at this scale only generalized policies for the allocation of finance can be made, and the implementation of those policies will invariably require detailed evaluation at the local level. This suggests that expenditure on the central planning process itself should be limited, with funds reserved for later site studies. The form of GIS adopted centrally should also lend itself to easy use and interpretation by policymakers and planners. These requirements suggest that GIS development using proprietary off‐the‐shelf database management software may be preferable to high‐technology GIS software. This paper outlines the development of such a GIS, based on dBase‐III‐plus and its internal programming language, in the analysis of problems of soil erosion and soil conservation in the large (110,000 km2) drainage basin of the Awash River in Ethiopia. The methodology employed involves the FAO modification of the Universal Soil Loss Equation, which clearly lacks a secure process basis, but is appropriate for the scale of planning involved and the quality of calibration data available. The GIS is used to map patterns of soil erosion, to identify target areas for conservation on the basis of criteria of sensitivity to land use change, and to assess the costs and benefits of conservation work in those areas. It is suggested that the simple form of GIS involved in this study has much to offer environmental managers in developing countries in the rapid development of plans for soil conservation.

Report of a workshop on Geographical Information Systems held in London on 13 September 1985

Abstract A workshop on Geographical Information Systems (GISs) was held on 13 September 1985 London. The objectives of the meeting included: the most appropriate approaches to be taken for integrated GIS developments, the delineation of key research issues and the provision of information on government initiatives and organizational plans. The workshop concluded with a debate on the general aspects of GIS development especially with respect to research needs and directions, government policy, organization, interorganization co-ordination and collaboration, funding and user needs and market opportunities.