What we're talking about today

• What is GIS? Is it just maps?
• Some important mapping concepts
• Tools
  • OpenStreetMap
  • Social Explorer
  • ArcGIS Online

First, some expectations...

• Stop me if you have any questions!
• Help your neighbors, and ask for help!
• You can (and should) call me Ryan!

First...what is GIS?

• GIS stands for Geographic Information System
• GIS is a tool used to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present geographic data
• The data used with GIS is spatial data (data that is referenced to points on the Earth)
• GIS is not a map!

Map Ingredients

(1) A reference system

https://what3words.com/

(2) A datum

https://www.grossmont.edu/people/judd-curran/images/datum.jpg

(3) A projection

https://xkcd.com/977/

Projections can have accurate sizes or accurate shapes

Accurate Size

Accurate Shape

Mercator - conformal projection Tissot's indicatrix © Eric Gaba – Wikimedia Commons user: Sting
Equirectangular (equidistant cylindrical) projection Tissot's indicatrix © Eric Gaba – Wikimedia Commons user: Sting

Or neither!

Robinson projection © Eric Gaba – Wikimedia Commons user: Sting

Dymaxion or Fuller map

Dymaxion or Fuller map

(4) A way to measure the Earth

What are some things you can do with GIS and spatial data?

Land Cover Analysis

from http://www.web.pdx.edu/~changh/hydro_research.php

Urban Planning

http://www.livablecities.org/sites/default/files/article/ESRI_Transit_Landuse.jpg

Analyzing Spatial Distributions

Analyzing Spatial Distributions

Combining Multiple Datasets

https://blogs.esri.com/esri/supportcenter/2014/12/02/combining-spatial-data-in-arcmap/

Geographically Weighted Regression

How GWR works: http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/latest/tools/spatial-statistics-toolbox/how-gwr-regression-works.htm

More about spatial data and regression: http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/latest/tools/spatial-statistics-toolbox/regression-analysis-basics.htm

Calculating Distances/Areas

Time to try it out!

go/arcgisonline

OpenStreetMap @ Middlebury

go/socialexplorer

Thanks!

for more, see Ryan @ go/ryan