Introduction to GIScience Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts from Dr. X. Angela Yao's Introduction to GIScience lecture, including GIS definitions, GIS vs. GIScience, historical evolution, and the Data to Decisions continuum.

Geographic Information

Information about places on the earth's surface that provides knowledge about "what is where when".

GIS (Planning and Management Definition)

A system of hardware, software, and procedures designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling, and display of spatially referenced data for solving complex planning and management problems.

GIS (Computer System Definition)

A computer system capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information.

GIS (Systems)

The technology used for the acquisition and management of spatial information.

GIScience

The science, theories, and concepts about and behind GIS technology, including conceptual modeling, spatial characteristics, and theoretical issues of representing data and processes in space-time.

Formative Years of GIS

The initial development phase of GIS taking place during the 1960s and 1970s.

Maturing Technology Era of GIS

The historical phase of GIS development spanning from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s.

Age of Geographic Information Infrastructure

The period starting in the mid-1990s characterized by geographic information infrastructure and the widespread growth of geospatial technology with data science.

Changing Domain of GIS

A theoretical framework by Forer and Unwin (1998) illustrating how GIS transitioned from an elite tool to a ubiquitous tool, shifting from an object of study to an enabler of studies with an application focus.

From Data to Decisions Pyramid

A functional continuum illustrating the progression from raw Data, to meaningful Information, contextual Knowledge, and applied Wisdom.

Data (Data to Decisions)

Raw facts or uninterpreted inputs, such as "Red, 192.234.235.245.678, v2.0".

Information (Data to Decisions)

Data that has been processed to add meaning, such as identifying a "South facing traffic light on corner of Pitt and George Streets has turned red".

Knowledge (Data to Decisions)

Information enriched with context, such as understanding that "The traffic light I am driving towards has turned red".

Wisdom (Data to Decisions)

The application of knowledge to execute a decision, such as deciding "I better stop the car!".