GIS Basics

Listening SessionsWisconsin Geographic Information Coordination Council (WIGICC)

CreditsBay-Lake Regional Planning Commission, City of Green Bay, ESRI, Google, Milwaukee Public Schools, US Census Bureau, USDA-FSA, USGS, University of Arizona, UWEX, UW-Fox Valley, WDATCP, WDNR, WGNHS

Geography is…

Information about the earth’s surface and things on it (which we all share)

Framework for organizing data Science behind GIS

Geography matters to all of us!

GIS is…

Geographic Information System

Technology to create, visualize, integrate, and analyze data from a geographic perspective

Automated tool for making maps

GIS is…

Process for creating information relevant to decisions made by people and organizations

System that supports program and resource planning, inventory, management, and evaluation activities

View, interpret and understand data in ways not possible with other tools!

A picture is worth…a thousand rows of data!

Dairy Farms

GIS is used to…

Facilitate communication Promote coordination Solve problems Measure resources Make decisions Understand past and present situations Anticipate future scenarios

GIS is a way to model our world!

EventsZoningStreetsUtilities

OwnershipNatural Resources

Real World

The process of GIS…

Think about a place or topic… Ask a question about it… Make a map… Explore patterns that appear… Try different analyses… Ask a new question… Repeat…

Maps that tell a story…

Where is ____? How many ____? Density of ____? What’s inside ____? What’s near ____? How has ____ changed? How do ____ relate? What if?

Where is ____?

Find places and features Determine optimum routes

Calculate driving timeEfficiently plan site visitsDefine service areas

Find patterns See where to take action

Where is ____?

All of us have used a map to figure out where “it” is and how to get there.

Where is ____?

GIS helps us identify the best responder and best route in emergency situations.

Where is ____?

Patterns emerge when you look at the distribution of features.

Earthquake hazard maps are essential for creating and updating building codes. earthquake.usgs.gov

Where is ____?

Orthophotography helps us visualize where we are in relation to other features.

How many ____?

Mapping the quantity of features by area helps usfind places that meet specific criteriasee relationships between places

More information than simply mapping the locations of features

Prioritize and manage actions based on the “most” or “least”

How many ____?

U.S. Census Bureau American FactFinder websitehttp://factfinder.census.gov

Percent of vacant housing units in Conover, WI

Density of ____?

Map concentrations of features by location

Measure the number of features using a uniform area measurement unit to clearly see the distributionPer acre or square mile

Prioritize and manage actions based on density

Density of ____?

Wisconsin DNR

Deer Population Density

What’s inside ____?

What's happening inside or outside an area

Prioritize and manage actions within an area

ExampleApply stiffer penalties to drug-related

arrests within 1,000 feet of a school

What’s inside ____?

Green Bay city ordinance uses buffer zones around places where children are likely to congregate.

What’s inside ____?

If you were moving to Milwaukee, WI, you might want to know which neighborhood your home falls within.

What’s near ____?

Map what's located or occurring within a set distance of a feature

Prioritize and manage actions around a feature

ExampleIdentify and sample livestock within a

5-mile radius of an infected animal

What’s near ____?

Find the closest ATM location to the restaurant you’re eating in before the bill arrives!

What’s near ____?

Critical facilities exposed to flood risk in Sheboygan County, WI

How has ____ changed?

Evaluate results of an action or policyGain insight into how things behave

over time Anticipate future needsMap conditions before and after an

action or event to see the impact Decide on a course of action based on

future considerations

How has ____ changed?

Hudson

HUDSON

TROY

North Hudson

Hudson

HUDSON

TROY

North Hudson

Land cover change 1992 to 2001

How do ____ relate?

Overlay and analyze data that can only be combined by location or areaIntegrate informationDevelop modelsSee in 3-D

Decide on a course of action based on spatial analyses

How do ____ relate?

This groundwater contamination susceptibility model integrates:- Bedrock depth

- Bedrock type

- Soil characteristics

- Surface deposits

- Water table depth

What if?

Integrate data from different sources to develop “what if” scenarios

What if?

What if the Greenland Ice Sheet melts?

Red areas of southern Florida are susceptible to a five-meter rise of sea

level, based on elevation. Yellow denotes urban areas.

GIS Coordination

Cross-jurisdictional and cross-functional sharing of data is crucial, especially in emergency situations Does the data exist?Who has it?How can I access it?How useful is it for my need (quality,

completeness, scale, age, attributes)?Can I easily integrate it with other data?

GIS Coordination

Public expects and deserves efficient and effective services

Number of people using location-based technologies continues to increase (e.g., GIS, GPS, Web Maps)

Questions?

Thanks for your

participation!