Database Reference
In-Depth Information
3
Geographic Information
3.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter introduces the concept of Geographic Information (GI) and is intended
for those not familiar with GI or Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It describes
the main types of GI and how they are used, which is an essential element in the
understanding of GI. We then provide a short history of GI because it is not only
necessary to understand the forms and uses that GI takes but also to understand how
it has developed. This history shapes both how GI is used today and how it is viewed.
For those who do not consider themselves to be GI experts, this chapter provides a
necessary background for the rest of the topic. For those who are knowledgeable
about GI, it may still introduce them to a broader view of GI than they may be yet
familiar with and will open up the opportunity to think differently about this topic.
3.2 WHAT IS GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION?
Geographic Information is quite literally all around us; it is a part of our everyday
lives. We use GI when we post a letter to a friend or when we navigate to work or
watch the news about a foreign conflict or a local planning dispute. GI is used to
determine who we get to vote for, who provides our local services, and where a vendor
chooses to place a new shop. It is involved in understanding who we are; it helps to
set our self-identity and defines the sides in sporting events and wars. GI is also used
when we monitor our environment and understand the natural world—enabling us to
realize the damage we do and offers hope that we can correct some of our mistakes.
It is used to track the progress of disease and to spot causal links between industrial
pollution and ill health. GI runs through our history and is one of the boundaries that
determine that very history. GI is so much a part of our lives that we do not notice
it. Most of us take it for granted. But, what exactly is it? In one sense, this is a very
easy question to answer: It is any information that references the geography of the
world. In another sense it is a quite difficult question to answer simply because the
boundaries of what is and is not GI can be somewhat ambiguous. Most people would
agree that the exact position of a ship at sea would be GI; but what about a customer
record that contains the customer's contact address as well as other details? Is just
the address the GI, is it the address plus the customer's identity, or is it the whole
record? And, what about a series of GPS positions that are used for local analysis and
that are not directly related back to any visible object on the ground? The answers to
these questions are often context dependent. If I am reading a restaurant review, then
I might think of the information as GI if I am in the vicinity of the restaurant and
am looking for somewhere to eat. However, if my context were different, and I were
at home, reading about a restaurant I had previously visited and comparing other
people's opinions of the restaurant, it would not fall under the “GI” category. In the
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