GIS For Dummies

An easy-to-understand reference for navigating through geographic information systems (GIS) GIS (geographic information system) is a totally cool technology that has been called "e;geography on steroids."e; GIS is what lets you see the schools in your neighborhood or tells you where the nearest McDonald's is. GIS For Dummies tells you all about mapping terminology and digital mapping, how to locate geographic features and analyze patterns such as streets and waterways, and how to generate travel directions, customer location lists, and much more with GIS. Whether you're in charge of creating GIS applications for your business or you simply love maps, you'll find GIS For Dummies is packed with information. For example, you can: Learn all the hardware and software necessary to collect, analyze, and manipulate GIS data Explore the difference between 2D and 3D maps, create a map, or manage multiple maps Analyze patterns that appear in maps and interpret the results Measure distance in absolute, comparative, and functional ways Recognize how spatial factors relate to geographic data Discover how GIS is used in business, the military, city planning, emergency services, land management, and more Find out how GIS can help you find discover where flooding may occur Determine what your organization needs, do appropriate analyses, and plan and design a GIS system You'll find dozens of applications for GIS queries and analyses, and even learn to create animated GIS output. Additionally, you can learn about sources of GIS data and GIS software vendors (and even what questions to ask potential vendors). Whether your goal is to implement a geographic information system or just have fun, GIS For Dummies will get you there!

An easy-to-understand reference for navigating through geographic information systems (GIS)GIS (geographic information system) is a totally cool technology that has been called "geography on steroids." GIS is what lets you see the schools in your neighborhood or tells you where the nearest McDonald's is.GIS For Dummiestells you all about mapping terminology and digital mapping, how to locate geographic features and analyze patterns such as streets and waterways, and how to generate travel directions, customer location lists, and much more with GIS.Whether you're in charge of creating GIS applications for your business or you simply love maps, you'll findGIS For Dummiesis packed with information. For example, you can:* Learn all the hardware and software necessary to collect, analyze, and manipulate GIS data* Explore the difference between 2D and 3D maps, create a map, or manage multiple maps* Analyze patterns that appear in maps and interpret the results* Measure distance in absolute, comparative, and functional ways* Recognize how spatial factors relate to geographic data* Discover how GIS is used in business, the military, city planning, emergency services, land management, and more* Find out how GIS can help you find discover where flooding may occur* Determine what your organization needs, do appropriate analyses, and plan and design a GIS systemYou'll find dozens of applications for GIS queries and analyses, and even learn to create animated GIS output. Additionally, you can learn about sources of GIS data and GIS software vendors (and even what questions to ask potential vendors). Whether your goal is to implement a geographic information system or just have fun,GIS For Dummieswill get you there!

Introduction 1Part I: GIS: Geography on Steroids 7Chapter 1: Seeing the Scope of GIS 9Chapter 2: Recognizing How Maps Show Information 23Chapter 3: Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Maps 39Part II: Geography Goes Digital 57Chapter 4: Creating a Conceptual Model 59Chapter 5: Understanding the GIS Data Models 73Chapter 6: Keeping Track of Data Descriptions 93Chapter 7: Managing Multiple Maps 109Chapter 8: Gathering and Digitizing Geographic Data 117Part III: Retrieving, Counting, and Characterizing Geography 135Chapter 9: Finding Information in Raster Systems 137Chapter 10: Finding Features in Vector Systems 147Chapter 11: Searching for Geographic Objects, Distributions, and Groups 65Part IV: Analyzing Geographic Patterns 181Chapter 12: Measuring Distance 183Chapter 13: Working with Statistical Surfaces 199Chapter 14: Exploring Topographical Surfaces 213Chapter 15: Working with Networks 225Chapter 16: Comparing Multiple Maps 239Chapter 17: Map Algebra and Model Building 253Part V: GIS Output and Application 277Chapter 18: Producing Cartographic Output 279Chapter 19: Generating Non-Cartographic Output 293Chapter 20: GIS in Organizations 301Part VI: The Part of Tens 315Chapter 21: Ten GIS Software Vendors 317Chapter 22: Ten Questions to Ask Potential Vendors 329Chapter 23: Ten GIS Data Sources 333Index 343