GIS, Maps, Floor Area Ratio (FAR), Public Land Survey System (PLSS)

Raster

a digital image comprised of pixels, like the image produced in a digital camera.

Vector

not made up of pixel, but instead points, lines, polygons, with separate geospatial coordinates and computer stored attributes

3 Types of Information Systems

Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD)

• architectural drawings

• design plans

• blueprints

Management Information System (MIS)

• financial analysis

• business reporting

GIS

• mapping, cartography

• geographic analysis

• satellite/aerial remote sensing

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

a collection of computer hardware, software, and data used by people to enter, edit, store, manipulate, and display geographically referenced data

Land Suitability Analysis

in 1968 ian mcharg’s firm was hired to find the most suitable route for the richmond parkway in NYC

result was the use of overlaying transparent mylar layers on a light table, assessing the overlapping of 16 important factors affecting land use

the promotion of a “land suitability analysis” in his 1969 book Design with Nature

“land suitability analysis” approach influenced the development of GIS and the layering approach

Geocoding

the process of converting a description of a location, such as an address, place name, or other location data, into geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude)

Georeferencing

the process of assigning real-world geographic coordinates to a digital map, image, or dataset so it accurately aligns with the Earth's surface.

Metadata

"data about data." It provides detailed information about a geographic dataset, describing its origin, purpose, structure, and other essential attributes

GIS Rendering

the process of drawing to a display; the conversion of the geometry coloring, texturing, lighting, and other characteristics of an object into a display image

the process of drawing shadows on a scene on the screen is called shadow rendering. arcgis pro, arcgis earth and others offer interactive tools for exploring shadow impact

Topology

describes the spatial relationships between adjacent features

GIS Buffer

the buffer tool in GIS is a proximity function that creates a set distance surrounding a selected point, line, or polygon

Suitability Analysis in GIS

the GIS tool version of Ian McHarg’s land use suitability analysis, allowing a user to identify the most suitable geographic site from a set of possible sites, thru applying a set of individually weighted criteria to identify the best location

Shadow Study/Analysis

the study of how a structures shadow affects the surrounding environment based upon the suns position relative to the time of day and year

3d gis can create a real life simulation predicting how a building or structure will create shadows and shade as the sun moves along the horizon during a specific time and day of the year

Metes and Bounds

a system for method of describing land, real property, or real estate

system uses physical features of the local geography, along with directions and distances to define and describe the boundaries of a parcel of land

The Land Ordinance of 1785

replaced metes and bounds and gave rise to the Public Land Survey System (PLSS)

Public Land Survey System (PLSS)

a standardized method used in the United States to survey, divide, and describe land for legal and administrative purposes

was established by the Land Ordinance of 1785 to survey lands ceded to the United States after the American Revolution. Its primary purpose is to create a consistent framework for identifying and describing land parcels, facilitating land sales, settlement, and legal documentation

How many acres is one square mile?

640 acres

related to township and range system

How many square feet are in an acre?

43,560 square feet in an acre

USGS Maps

7.5-minute quadrangle series

1:24,000-scale (1”=2,000 ft)

How many feet in a mile?

5,280 feet

Township

6 miles long by 6 miles wide

36 sections

35 square miles

Section

1 mile long by 1 mile wide

640 acres

What is yellow on a land use map?

residential activities

What is red on a land use map?

shopping, business, or trade activities

Floor Area Ratio (FAR)

building area / lot area