Chapter 1:Data

inputs in GIS system

There are Four

Data Input
Techniques in GIS

Fig 1: The Four Data Input Techniques in GIS

The four common data input techniques are shown in Figure 1. Which technique you
choose will depend on the application, your budget, and the type and
complexity of the data involved.

1. Manual digitizing – digitizing tablet:

Defination:The process of creating a GIS data from the analog data or paper
format is called digitization.
1. A digitizer is a special table with a grid of fine wiring behind the face.
2. You place your map on the digitize and then secure it with removable sticking tape.
3. In your digitizing software, you then specify a coordinate system
4. Then you digitize the bounding coordinates of the map.
5. After the setup phase, you trace the map features using a magnetic pen (puck). The
map features get sent to your computer as a GIS map.

Digitizing using a digitizing tablet can be carried out in the following modes:
1. Point mode: single points are recorded at one time.
2. Stream mode: one point each is collected at regular breaks of time and distance.

Digitizing can be very time-consuming and so its expensive. However, once digitized,
GIS maps can be used over-and-over. That’s one way digitizing becomes cost effective.
 2.Automatic scanning:
 This is where a scanner captures the spatial data automatically. Scanning devices
can capture spatial data at a very high speed. However, these scanners are often
quite expensive and are rarely able to recognize text and symbols. Scanned data
also requires a large amount of editing, which is done manually, therefore it can be
more time consuming.
 Automatic scanning can also be very quick when the map being scanned is a single
map theme eg. just roads or just watercourses (but not a map with a mix of themes
such as roads, rail, watercourses, etc.)
 Scanners are expensive and its better to outsource this task. The final scans are
only as good as the original map. Low quality scans might need to be on-screen
digitized rather than going through feature auto-recognition

3. Entry of coordinates via coordinate geometry:

 Coordinate geometry is a means of entering explicit measurements of features
from some known monument. This data is entered based on surveys. It involves
manually entering X & Y coordinate information, and distances, can be very
expensive in terms of labor. It is rarely used for natural resource applications in GIS
and is mostly used for producing detailed cadastre maps.
4.Conversion of existing digital data:
 This involves the process of converting data from CAD systems to a GIS or
topological form. Most software vendors of GIS provide a data exchange format
where users can write their own data conversion routes.
 GPS is also another means of data conversion

Chapter 2: GIS data editing & attribute data linking

Def:Data editing is the process of creating or updating features in your database

Topology Building
 Topology building is one of the fundamental topology related processes, along with
two other processes, topology validating and topology error correcting. By
validating the topology of the target dataset, the objects that violate the predefined
topology rules will be detected, then the topological errors can be fixed by using
the error fixing tools. These two processes provide the basis for the topology
building process, making it possible to create networks or regions from lines
according to the topological relationships.
 In real practice, networks exist in GIS analyses that occur in different fields, such as
urban public transports, underground pipe systems, and used by departments such
as communication, energy and resources and many other departments. Any
network is composed of a large number of nodes and arcs, resulting in topology
relationships of great complexity. For example, the relationship between
crossroads and street intersections in the urban transport system, between the
pipes and the valves in the underground pipelines, between the high-voltage
transmission lines and power poles, etc.
 The GIS analyses on the network data are performed by building the topology
relationships between the nodes and arcs and modeling the networks.
 Also, by employing the topology relationships, lines can be used to create regions, a
very useful and necessary function in GIS applications. Super Map supports the
following functions which are based on the topology relationships
1. Construct network from lines
Description:
Creates a network dataset from a line dataset after fixing the topological errors in the
line dataset.
Notes:
Prior to the network creating, the topology of the line dataset should be processed to
fix the topological errors and ensure the topological relationships.

2. Construct regions from lines

Description:
Creates regions by extracting the closed areas from the line dataset based on the
topology.
Notes:
Prior to the region creating, the topology of the line dataset should be processed to fix
the topological errors and ensure the topological relationships

3. Construct network from points and lines

Description:
Creates a network dataset from a line dataset and/or a point dataset.
Notes:
 A network can be created from only a line dataset, or from both a line dataset and a
point dataset. However, it is not allowed to create a network from only a point
dataset.
 The point dataset is used to split the lines where the points touch the lines and
such points become the nodes of the network. The value in the non-system fields
and the system field SmUserID of the points will be assigned to the corresponding
fields of the nodes. The value in the other system fields of the nodes will be
assigned by the system.
 The points in the point dataset that coincide with the endpoints of the lines in the
line dataset will also become nodes in the network dataset. The value in the non-
system fields and the system field SmUserID of the points will be assigned to the
corresponding fields of the nodes. The value in the other system fields of the nodes
will be assigned by the system.
 The lines in the line dataset become the arcs of the network. The value in the non-
system fields and the system field SmUserID of the lines will be assigned to the
corresponding fields of the arcs. The value in the other system fields of the arcs will
be assigned by the system.

 Topological errors
 There are different types of topological errors and they can be grouped according
to whether the vector feature types are polygons or polylines. Topological errors
with polygon features can include unclosed polygons, gaps between polygon
borders or overlapping polygon borders. A common topological error
with polyline features is that they do not meet perfectly at a point (node). This
type of error is called an undershoot if a gap exists between the lines, and
an overshoot if a line ends beyond the line it should connect to
 Undershoots (1) occur when digitised vector lines that should connect to each
other don’t quite touch. Overshoots
 (2) happen if a line ends beyond the line it should connect to. Slivers
 (3) occur when the vertices of two polygons do not match up on their borders

 Topological errors break the relationship between features. These errors need to
be fixed in order to be able to analyse vector data with procedures like network
analysis (e.g. finding the best route across a road network) or measurement (e.g.
finding out the length of a river). In addition to topology being useful for network
analysis and measurement, there are other reasons why it is important and useful
to create or have vector data with correct topology. Just imagine you digitise a
municipal boundaries map for your province and the polygons overlap or show
slivers. If such errors were present, you would be able to use the measurement
tools, but the results you get will be incorrect. You will not know the correct area
for any municipality and you will not be able to define exactly, where the borders
between the municipalities are.
 It is not only important for your own analysis to create and have topologically
correct data, but also for people who you pass data on to. They will be expecting
your data and analysis results to be correct!

Topology rules
Fortunately, many common errors that can occur when digitising vector features can
be prevented by topology rules that are implemented in many GIS applications.

Except for some special GIS data formats, topology is usually not enforced by default.
Many common GIS, like QGIS, define topology as relationship rules and let the user
choose the rules, if any, to be implemented in a vector layer.

The following list shows some examples of where topology rules can be defined for
real world features in a vector map:
 Area edges of a municipality map must not overlap.
 Area edges of a municipality map must not have gaps (slivers).
 Polygons showing property boundaries must be closed. Undershoots or overshoots
of the border lines are not allowed.
 Contour lines in a vector line layer must not intersect (cross each other

Location Errors
 Location errors refer to the geometric inaccuracies of digitized features.
 Location errors can be examined by referring to the data source for digitizing.
 Edge-matching
 Edge matching is a procedure to adjust the position of features extending across
map sheet boundaries. This function ensures that all features that cross adjacent
map sheets have the same edge locations. Links are used when matching features
in adjacent coverages.
 An editing procedure to ensure that all features that cross adjacent map sheets have the
same edge locations. Links are used to connect the locations in one coverage to the
locations of the matching features in the adjacent coverage
 Edge Matching is an important part of the creation of a digital map or GIS database. One
digital map may encompass many paper maps. But when the paper maps are laid
edge-to-edge, features running across the boundaries of the map sheets are not
always properly aligned
 When side-by-side map layers are retrieved and displayed, they might not line up
well with each other. Edge matching adjusts the location of features that extend
across one map's boundaries into another.
 It is a procedure to adjust the position of features extending across map sheet
boundaries. This function ensures that all features that cross adjacent map sheets
have the same edge locations. Links are used when matching features in adjacent
coverage.