by Chioma Innocent | Wed Nov, 2022 | GIS Application and Training, Remote Sensing |
Remote sensing and the environment
Remote Sensing is the process of detecting and monitoring the physical characteristics of an area by measuring its reflected and emitted radiation at a distance (typically from satellite or aircraft). Special cameras collect remotely sensed images, which help researchers “sense” things about the Earth.
The use of remote sensing (RS) makes it possible to provide reliable information on environmental conditions, properties of the spatial structure of natural-territorial complexes, their dynamics and helps in accumulation of data for the development of the system natural resources monitoring.
By utilizing GIS modeling tools, potential impacts can be predicted and included in the management and monitoring programs. GIS and remote sensing could be used in environmental monitoring for Land use / Land cover analysis, wetland assessment and ground water modeling, habitat mapping, disaster management etc.
Remote Sensing replaces slower, costly data collection on the ground, providing fast and repetitive coverage of extremely large areas for everyday applications, ranging from weather forecasts to reports on natural disasters or climate change.
The applications of remote sensing include land-use mapping, weather forecasting, environmental study, natural hazards study, and resource exploration.
- The information derived from remote sensing can be directly related to measuring important socio-economic impacts. Rates of land cover change and drought, for example, will strongly influence vegetation yield, which substantially impact upon human health and well-being.
- It helps to create information base on land use, land cover distribution, urban change detection, monitoring urban growth and urban environmental impact assessment. Satellite images enable us to better understand some of the intrinsic components of urban ecosystems and the interactions within whole urban environment.
- Most of the information used by soil scientists to map soil seriesis obtained by direct observation in the field. It is essential that subsurface soil profiles be examined and careful biological, chemical, and physical measurements be obtained within each soil horizon.
Larger areas can be sensed remotely in a very easy way and the whole data can be easily processed and analysed fast by using the computer and that data is utilised for various purposes. Data Collection is really very easy over a variety of scales and solutions.
by Mercy Oriabure | Wed Nov, 2021 | Geoinfotech Blog, Geospatial technology, News |
How Geoinfotech relates cartography in the GIS environment
Over the years, Geoinfotech relates cartography in the GIS environment helping us in mapping the world in a conformal projection.
Cartography as a science was not established until the German geographer Max Eckert (1868–1938) published his two volumes on “map science” that marked the birth of cartography as an independent discipline and science (Eckert 1921, 1925).
As a young science and confronted with major technological developments in the late 20th-century cartography underwent several crises as to what exactly is cartography and how it relates to other spatial sciences, in particular to geographic information systems
What then does cartography entail;
Cartography is the science and technique of producing maps and map-related products. These products are digital or analog models of (a virtual) reality.
Why do GIS and cartography complement each other?
Geographic information systems (GIS), the ultimate culmination of cartography and modern technology, allow us to map our world like never before: from rendering 3D oceanic base maps to finding the nearest dry cleaner.
Cartography and geographic information systems both influence each other, but mapping may get the best of the relation. GIS technology promises to transform cartography by changing what gets mapped, what form maps take, who makes and uses maps, and how maps are used. We can also expect better tailoring of maps to user needs and characteristics. In the process, all involved will have to pay closer attention to the nature of cartographic representation.
At Geoinfotech relating cartography and GIS can be best visualized from a practical point of view. One of the modes of GIS is the cartographic one, but this is mostly given in the context of applications and not necessarily as an objective reality. Computer-Assisted Mapping (CAM) has a specific production objective but lacks the analytical capacities of a GIS. On its part, GIS includes cartographic capacities, which being important have not the same weight as the analytical. However, GIS depends basically on cartography for data capture, which in many cases has to be converted to a digital format, structured and put into a database, processed as required, and finally given some sort of output.
However, neither of them is to be ignored in its importance for the visualization of spatial objects and phenomena in this recent times. In this article, Geoinfotech further shows the advantages and disadvantages of cartography using GIS.
Advantage of cartography using GIS
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Create maps semi-automatically
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Manage layers
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Symbolize data
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Label maps with text and graphics automatically
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Layout and print maps
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Work with styles and symbols
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Look at data with graphs
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Create reports
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Query maps
The disadvantage of cartography using GIS
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Classification: The classification tools included in the most current GIS package allow quick and easy classing schemes. This can lead to inappropriate choices because no significant experimentation is needed. Another factor to consider is the number of classes: the default number of classes in the GIS package is frequently too high: nine or ten, whereas five or six classes, are enough.
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Text Placement: Labelling points, lines and polygons automatically is often imprecise or cartographically false. Overposting (labeling for one feature placed on top of labeling for another feature), bad polygon labeling (on left/center/right) are other placement, are classic errors.
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Colour schemes: Often the default color schemes are qualitative, this can be a real problem for
choropleth mapping (which uses quantitative data).
As a mapping company supplying cartographic products to businesses, charities, and organizations in the public sector, Geoinfotech understands the importance of your design brief when producing maps for books and magazines, for use on public display panels and signposts, and for deployment in interactive applications and websites. Please get in touch today to discover how the cartography and map-making services offered by Geoinfotech can best assist you with your project via www.geoinfotech.ng
