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2006-12-20 13:41:14 · 2 answers · asked by sariff 1 in Science & Mathematics Geography

Just GIS-related information pretty much. I'm going to start taking an introductory class in the spring on cartography on my way towards a GIS certificate and was just curious what it entails, the main key terms to look for, what one must know...things of that nature.

Thanks in advance!

2006-12-20 13:47:19 · update #1

2 answers

Can you be more specific? I'm somewhat knowledgeable in this field, but I'm not going to type a dissertation on it without knowing specifically what you want to learn. If you add more details, so will I.

OK. Well... it's not terribly difficult. Study an introductory lesson or two on ESRI's website. They manufacture the software (ArcGIS) used by something like 95% of the practitioners. They are the Microsoft of GIS. Learn terms such as rasterization, vector data, raster data, etc. You need to know things about database structures (relational databases, etc.)

The hardest part is learning about the differing mapping projections used in GIS, such as Universal Transverse Mercatur, etc. This basically is the study of HOW scientists portray a 3 dimensional object (the earth's surface) in two-dimensions (a map). The various problems associated with doing so, and the strengths and weaknesses of common projection systems. You need to know about longitude and latitude for sure.

You'll need to be good at developing meta-data (data about the data). The software itself is not terribly difficult. Just visit ESRI's website and read everything you can before your class. Good luck.

OH... and by the way... great demand for GIS professionals. You should have little trouble finding a job.

.

2006-12-20 13:44:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

You pretty much need a program before you can figure it out. (Like ArcView, which is like a thousand dollars, so you'll have to get it from your school or workplace) Then once you have Arcview, you need stuff to put into it, like different map layers. Depending on where you live, do some internet searches to find where you are able to obtain GIS data for your area. Some regions have easier to access data than others.

2006-12-21 12:20:44 · answer #2 · answered by Strix 5 · 0 0

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