WHAT IS GIS

GIS – SOME DEFINITIONS

• GIS may include manual systems, however, it usually
refers to a computerised database system for capture,
storage, retrieval, analysis and display of spatial data
(Huxhold, 1991).

• GIS is capable of assisting the storage, retrieval and

manipulation of spatially referenced data such as street
address or a census tract (Nedovic-Budic, 1999).

• GIS is most useful when used to perform data analysis

(Lee and Wong, 2001, viii)
 GIS – SOME DEFINITIONS (cont.)
• application
– acts as a problem solving solution
– example: water pollution, traffic, land
management
• toolbox
– emphasize on the generic aspect of GIS in it’s
definition
– always used by vendors to maximize their
market share
 The History

• First developed in North America,

particularly the U.S. and Canada in the mid-
1960s
• Previously been used in natural resources
and environmental research
 Period Name of Database/ Objective/Purpose/Use The relevant body in
System Charge
GIS History in Malaysia
1986 Digital Cadastral Management of country’s natural Department of Survey and
Database (DCDB) Resources Mapping Malaysia
National Topographic
Database

1990 DOA’s GIS-Based Land Resource Land and land use investigation, Department of Agriculture
Database creation and maintenance of a
spatial and attribute database
and the storage, processing and
management of this information
for the purpose of producing land
use maps

1992 National Infrastructure for Land
Information System (NaLIS).
Provide timely access to land Ministry of Land and
information, eliminate/reduce Cooperative Development
duplication of data capture and
promote effective data sharing
among related agencies.

1992 Penang Geographic Information Creation of digital data for all Penang Development
System (PEGIS) land-related administration Corporation

1992 Darul Ehsan GIS (DEGIS) Integrating the diverse datasets The State of Selangor
through the internet to create an
effective, consistent and
inexpensive GIS infrastructure

1993 Sabah GIS for agriculture Digitizing all its land use Sabah DOA
distribution maps at a scale of
1:25,000
 1994 PEGIS handed over to the Penang
Government
GIS History in Malaysia
1994 Computerized Planning
Information System
1995 'AGISWlk' (stand for Aplikasi GIS
Wilayah Lembah Klang).
1995 GIS for forest resources
2002 Malaysian Cadastral Digital Data
Infrastructure
- same as above - Penang Development
Corporation
Convert all land-related Melaka City Council
information within the Council
Administrative area, into a more
efficient and integrated digital
Format
Land use/resource Bahagian Kemajuan
management and planning Wilayah Persekutuan dan
Perancangan Lembah
Klang, Jabatan Perdana
Menteri (now
Kementerian Wilayah
Persekutuan)
To establish an efficient and Forest Department of
operational Forest Management Sarawak
Information System using GIS
as a tool to support and
strengthen the department to
carry out its mandate as the
custodian of the state's forest
Resources
Provide the technology, policies MaCDDI
and standards necessary to
acquire, distribute and improve
the utilization of land
Information
 Tutorial question
• Briefly review the history of Geographic
Information System application in Malaysia.
 GIS: OLD AND NEW

Traditional GIS

MANUAL DRAFING
MAP TYPEWRITER TOOLS

New GIS

COMPUTER PLOTTER CD-ROM

 THE NEED FOR GIS

• the real world has a lot of spatial data

– manipulation, analysis and modeling can be
effective and efficiently carried out with a GIS
• the neighborhood of the intended purchase of house
• the route for fire-fighting vehicles to the fire area
• location of historical sites to visit
• the earth surface for purposes of army
• the earth surface is a limited resource
• rational decisions on space utilization
• fast and quality information in decision making
 ... THE NEED FOR GIS

 complexity of management
– due to the need to combine and process many
sets of data, in addition to judge as many as
possible, situation that might happen.
 intense competition
– the need to use technology in making decisions
and strategy in the world of intense competition.
 A. DATA VISUALISATION

Which one do you prefer: tabular data or map data?

TABULAR DATA MAP

State Population (1991)

Johor 2,074,297

Kedah 1,304,800

Kelantan 1,181,680

Melaka 504,502
 B. LOCATION
EAST
10 11 12

3
P

4
SOUTH

S
5
Y

1. WHERE IS OBJECTP?
ANSWER: P = 3Y SOUTH, 12X EAST

2. WHAT CAN BE FOUND AT A CERTAIN LOCATION ?

EXAMPLE: What can be found at 5x SOUTH, 11y EAST?
ANSWER: Y
 C. ATTRIBUTE QUESTION:

NO. AREA (HECTARE) OWNER TAX CODE MINERAL QUALITY

1 100,000 TALATU B HIGH
2 50,100 BRAUDO A MEDIUM
3 90,900 BRAUDO B LOW
4 40,800 ANUNKU A LOW
5 120,200 SILIMA B HIGH

1. ATRIBUTE EXPLANATION
EXAMPLE: WHAT IS THE ATTRIBUTE FOR ITEM 2?

2. WHERE A CERTAIN SENARIO MIGHT HAPPEN?

EXAMPLE: WHO HAS THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF MINERALS ?
….QUESTION: RELATIONAL DATABASE

NO. AREA (HECTARE) OWNER TAX CODE MINERAL QUALITY

1 100,000 TALATU B HIGH
2 50,100 BRAUDO A MEDIUM
3 90,900 BRAUDO B LOW
4 40,800 ANUNKU A LOW
5 120,200 SILIMA B HIGH

3. SELECTION OF AN AREA (ACCORDING TO RULES)

EXAMPLE: WHICH ITEM HAS
a) AREA >40,000 HECTARE
b) OWNER: NOT SILIMA
c) TAX CODE: B
d) MINERAL QUALITY: HIGH
QUESTION: PATTERN AND RELATIONSHIP
X Z Z
Y
X Y
Y
X
Z Z

1. IS OBJECT X IN THE PATTERN?

YES, IN THE FORM OF LINE, FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST
IN THE FORM OF A LINE

2. IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN X AND Y?

YES, Y IS ALWAYS NEAR X

3. WHAT OTHER SPATIAL PATTERN EXISTS?

OBJECT Z IS ALWAYS NEAR THE BORDERS AND ITS SIZE INCREASES
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
 TREND QUESTION

A A B
B
C C D
1980 1990
1. WHAT ARE THE CHANGES FOR A,B AND C FROM 1980 TO 1990?
A: INCREASE IN SIZE
B: DECREASE IN SIZE AND CHANGE IN LOCATION
C: CHANGES IN SHAPE

2. WHAT HAS CHANGED SINCE 1980?

A AND B HAVE CHANGED IN SIZE
B RELOCATES
C CHANGES IN SHAPE
ADDITION OF ITEM D
 GIS AND OTHER INFORMATION
SYSTEMS
Information
System

Non-spatial Spatial
Information Information
Systems Systems

Management Geographic Other

Information Information Types
Systems Systems (CAD/CAM)
 GIS
USES

VARIOUS DATA AND VARIOUS DATA

1 SOURCES FORMATS

DIGITAL TEXT TABULAR

2 MAPS IMAGE
PRODUCTS
GPS
DATA DATA

DATABASE

MAPS REPORTS

4 3 4
 GIS APPLICATION (I)

• environment
– management of natural resources
• land, forest, marine, etc.
– monitoring/control of environmental pollution
– environment impact study
• infrastructure
– transport and irrigation management and
maintenance
– utility management and maintenance
• electric, water, gas, telephone, etc.
 GIS APPLICATION (II)

• socio-economy
– town and country planning
– monitoring of population migration
– disperse of resources/services
• clinics, schools, etc
• military
– land form visualisation
– visibility analysis
 Residential Real Estate

• A single map lets your customer compare

multiple properties and their respective
proximity to desired amenities such as
schools, parks, and shopping centers.
• Introduce the subject of disclosure by
displaying FEMA floodplain data and know
toxic sites in an area.
 Commercial Real Estate
• Evaluate and analyze key factors when siting new premise for
restaurants, stores, warehouses, corporate offices etc.:
* Proximity to suitable customers
* Location of potential competitors
* Crime rates
* Transportation infrastructure
* Regional labor pool characteristics
* Environmental risk factors (i.e., flood plains, toxic sites, and
others)
• Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) can gain a competitive
edge over traditional investments by using GIS to quantifying
the investment potential of portfolios.
• GIS can show properties in the context of potential
customers/tenants, nearness to competitors, inventories of like
property, labor pools, and risk factors.
 Multiple Listing Services
• Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) can add features and
functions to the standard MLS menu of services such as an
interactive map to show qualifying properties in the context of
neighborhood amenities or perceived nuisances. Layers such as
toxic sites can be added to address the sometimes thorny issue
of disclosure.
• A prospective buyer can browse listings, look at an appropriate
map, and choose an agent without ever leaving home. A good
Internet site can link visitors to agents' e-mails and office Web
sites.
• Mapping at the local level. Data such as parcel maps, school
district boundaries, bus routes, local parks, and recreation
facilities can be used by local MLS providers.
• Internet Map Server (IMS) technology gives us the tools to
publish maps on the internet.
 Title Companies
• Title companies can use GIS for relatively simple customer care
mapping services, preliminary title searches, and the creation of
GIS-based land information systems (LISs).
• LIS projects can involve the conversion of an existing paper-based
land registration/taxation system to an automated interactive GIS
system. Projects also include the creation of GIS/LIS from
historical records and aerial photogrammetry.
• The title industry can also take advantage of internet-enabled GIS
systems to allow free public access to a county's parcel ownership
data and maps with a gateway to a fee-for-service section.
• In the fee-for-service section, customers can order/down
proprietary data and reports and initiate title searches. More
innovative applications can be linked to a local real estate board or
MLS provider and are of particular value to a wide range of real
estate professionals.
 Appraisers

• Map current and recently retired listings for a more

accurate representation of sales information for
comparison.
• GIS maps properties based on searchable features such
as address and parcel number, so we can review all
properties in a given area using these ‘connectors’
• ArcView GIS desktop software gives you the tools to
map features that affect a property's value such as crime
rates, environmental hazards, and the condition of
surrounding neighborhoods and properties.
 GIS USAGE
• Data recall Geomdk_id: 252
Area: 147: 147.477900
Geodmk_: 640
Account_no: A0546142
Land Ownership
Owner: LAM MEE WONG
MAJLIS DAERAH KULAI No_k_p: 2224567
Bangsa: CINA
Address: 142, JLN. BERJASA,
TMN. TIMUR,
KULAI, JOHOR
Poscode: 81000
No_geran: GM 125
No_lot: PTD 12201
Area: BANDAR KULAI
Mukim: SENAI-KULAI
Holding: BEBAS
Usage: KEDIAMAN
Floors: 01
Assesment: 89000.00
Rate: 0.25
Tax: 222.50
• Modeling
– predict information from data within the GIS
using a certain model

Population Density
Year 2010

- High
- Medium
- Low
 BENEFITS OF GIS
• improves/enhances the effects of
physical/environmental growth
• better management of resources
• adding new value-added services
• perform analysis on spatial and non spatial
components
• fast recall of data
• ability for complex analysis
• recalling of non spatial data through object location
• display of information in a different light/view
• multiple scenario in planning can be performed
easily