gis data continuous and discrete

Discrete GIS data refers to geographic data that only exists in specific locations, rather than being continuous across an entire area.
Discrete data is characterized by having well-defined boundaries, particularly for polygon data. This means that the data is constrained within certain limits and does not extend indefinitely.
Examples of discrete GIS data include point and line data, such as the location of trees, rivers, and streets. These data types are inherently discrete because they occur at specific locations and are not continuous across the landscape.
Discrete GIS data can be contrasted with continuous GIS data, which is data that varies smoothly across space without any well-defined boundaries. An example of continuous data might be temperature or elevation measurements.
Discrete GIS data is particularly useful for mapping specific features, such as infrastructure or natural resources, that are present in limited, specific locations. By contrast, continuous data is more useful for identifying patterns and trends across a larger area.
Discrete GIS data can be represented in various ways, including as points, lines, and polygons, depending on the nature of the data and the purpose of the mapping. For example, roads might be represented as lines, while individual trees might be represented as points.
Continuous GIS data is geographic data that varies smoothly across space without any well-defined boundaries, in contrast to discrete data which is constrained to specific locations.
Examples of continuous GIS data include elevation, slope, temperature, precipitation, and other environmental or climatic measurements that vary continuously across the landscape.
Every point on a map made with continuous GIS data will contain a value, indicating the value of the measured variable at that location.
Unlike discrete data, which has well-defined boundaries, continuous data is characterized by a lack of clear limits or borders between different values. Instead, the values vary smoothly across space, with no abrupt changes or discontinuities.
Continuous GIS data is particularly useful for identifying patterns and trends across a larger area, such as mapping the distribution of rainfall or temperature across a region.
Continuous data can be contrasted with discrete GIS data, which is data that only exists in specific locations and is characterized by well-defined boundaries.
Continuous GIS data can be represented in various ways, including as contour lines, heat maps, and color-coded surfaces, depending on the nature of the data and the purpose of the mapping.
GIS analysts use various tools and methods to process, analyze, and visualize continuous GIS data, including statistical methods, interpolation, and spatial analysis techniques.
Most ArcGIS applications use discrete geographic information, which is characterized by well-defined boundaries and specific locations. Examples include landownership, soils classification, zoning, and land use.
Discrete data is typically represented by nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio values, depending on the nature of the data and the level of measurement.
Nominal data is data that cannot be ranked or ordered, such as landownership or soil type. Ordinal data is data that can be ranked, but the differences between the values are not necessarily equal, such as zoning categories.
Interval data is data where the differences between values are meaningful and can be measured, but there is no true zero point, such as temperature measurements. Ratio data is data where there is a true zero point, such as weight or height.
Surfaces, on the other hand, are continuous data that vary smoothly across space without any well-defined boundaries. Examples of surfaces include elevation, rainfall, pollution concentration, and water tables.
Continuous data can be represented in various ways, such as contour lines, heat maps, and color-coded surfaces, depending on the nature of the data and the purpose of the mapping.
GIS analysts use various tools and methods to process, analyze, and visualize both discrete and continuous GIS data, including statistical methods, interpolation, and spatial analysis techniques.

Comments

History of GIS

1. 1832 - Early Spatial Analysis in Epidemiology: - Charles Picquet creates a map in Paris detailing cholera deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. - Utilizes halftone color gradients for visual representation. 2. 1854 - John Snow's Cholera Outbreak Analysis: - Epidemiologist John Snow identifies cholera outbreak source in London using spatial analysis. - Maps casualties' residences and nearby water sources to pinpoint the outbreak's origin. 3. Early 20th Century - Photozincography and Layered Mapping: - Photozincography development allows maps to be split into layers for vegetation, water, etc. - Introduction of layers, later a key feature in GIS, for separate printing plates. 4. Mid-20th Century - Computer Facilitation of Cartography: - Waldo Tobler's 1959 publication details using computers for cartography. - Computer hardware development, driven by nuclear weapon research, leads to broader mapping applications by early 1960s. 5. 1960 - Canada Geograph...

Accuracy Assessment

Accuracy assessment is the process of checking how correct your classified satellite image is . 👉 After supervised classification, the satellite image is divided into classes like: Water Forest Agriculture Built-up land Barren land But classification is done using computer algorithms, so some areas may be wrongly classified . 👉 Accuracy assessment helps to answer this question: ✔ "How much of my classified map is correct compared to real ground conditions?" Goal The main goal is to: Measure reliability of classified maps Identify classification errors Improve classification results Provide scientific validity to research 👉 Without accuracy assessment, a classified map is not considered scientifically reliable . Reference Data (Ground Truth Data) Reference data is real-world information used to check classification accuracy. It can be collected from: ✔ Field survey using GPS ✔ High-resolution satellite images (Google Earth etc.) ✔ Existing maps or survey reports 🧭 Exampl...

Supervised Classification

Image Classification in Remote Sensing Image classification in remote sensing involves categorizing pixels in an image into thematic classes to produce a map. This process is essential for land use and land cover mapping, environmental studies, and resource management. The two primary methods for classification are Supervised and Unsupervised Classification . Here's a breakdown of these methods and the key stages of image classification. 1. Types of Classification Supervised Classification In supervised classification, the analyst manually defines classes of interest (known as information classes ), such as "water," "urban," or "vegetation," and identifies training areas —sections of the image that are representative of these classes. Using these training areas, the algorithm learns the spectral characteristics of each class and applies them to classify the entire image. When to Use Supervised Classification: - You have prior knowledge about the c...

Development and scope of Environmental Geography and Recent concepts in environmental Geography

Environmental Geography studies the relationship between humans and nature in a spatial (place-based) way. It combines Physical Geography (natural processes) and Human Geography (human activities). A. Early Stage 🔹 Environmental Determinism Concept: Nature controls human life. Meaning: Climate, landforms, and soil decide how people live. Example: People in deserts (like Sahara Desert) live differently from people in fertile river valleys. 🔹 Possibilism Concept: Humans can modify nature. Meaning: Environment gives options, but humans make choices. Example: In dry areas like Rajasthan, people use irrigation to grow crops. 👉 In this stage, geography was mostly descriptive (explaining what exists). B. Evolution Stage (Mid-20th Century) Environmental problems increased due to: Industrialization Urbanization Deforestation Pollution Geographers started studying: Environmental degradation Resource management Human impact on ecosystems The field became analytical and problem-solving...

GIS: Real World and Representations - Modeling and Maps

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) serve as a bridge between the real world and digital representations of geographic phenomena. These representations allow users to store, analyze, and visualize spatial data for informed decision-making. Two key aspects of GIS in this context are modeling and maps , both of which are used to represent real-world geographic features and phenomena in a structured, analyzable format. Let's delve into these concepts, terminologies, and examples in detail. 1. Real World and Representations in GIS Concept: The real world comprises physical, tangible phenomena, such as landforms, rivers, cities, and infrastructure, as well as more abstract elements like weather patterns, population densities, and traffic flow. GIS allows us to represent these real-world phenomena digitally, enabling spatial analysis, decision-making, and visualization. The representation of the real world in GIS is achieved through various models and maps , which simplify...

Vineesh V, Geography

Search This Blog