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Volume 6 – Geotechnical Manual, Site Investigation and Engineering ...

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Chapter 5 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)<br />

5.1 INTRODUCTION<br />

5 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)<br />

There is an old common saying that “a picture is worth a thous<strong>and</strong> words”. Today with GIS we can<br />

choose to have not only the picture which is very often the digital topographic map but also the<br />

thous<strong>and</strong> words which is interlinked with the geographically referenced features depicted on a map<br />

through feature codes. A GIS is a computerized system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing <strong>and</strong><br />

displaying geographically referenced information; that is data of map features identified according to<br />

location. Traditionally such a graphic picture is depicted on cartographically enhanced topographic<br />

maps (USGS website on geographic information system http//:egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/gis_poster/).<br />

GIS tools <strong>and</strong> methods can be used for environmental studies, water resource management for<br />

agriculture, flood mitigation development planning or scientific investigation. A GIS may allow flood<br />

emergency planners to easily calculate flood emergency response times during a flood season.<br />

Together with cartography a component of topographic mapping, remote sensing, global positioning<br />

systems, photogrammetry, <strong>and</strong> geography; GIS has evolved into a discipline with its own research<br />

base known as Gographic Information science<br />

An example on the usefulness of GIS technology development is the possibility of combining<br />

agricultural or l<strong>and</strong> records, hydrography; which include rainfall data, to determine which river will<br />

carry certain levels of soil erosion sediment runoff.<br />

Having gone through the above it is hoped the user of this manual can now make use of the link<br />

provided by the Malaysian Centre for Geospatial Data Infrastructure [2] (MaCGDI) Ministry of Natural<br />

Resources <strong>and</strong> Environment (NRE) website http://www.mygeoportal.gov.my to contact various other<br />

departments to share experience <strong>and</strong> ideas on creating geospatial information.<br />

5.2 MORE ON GIS INFORMATION<br />

More information which is listed below can be obtained from the USGS website mentioned in item<br />

5.3 References.<br />

• How does a GIS work?<br />

• Data Capture<br />

• Data integration<br />

• Map projection <strong>and</strong> registration<br />

• Data structures<br />

• Data modeling<br />

• What’s special about a GIS?<br />

• Framework for cooperation etc.<br />

March 2009 5-1

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