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Geographic information systems
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Topical vocabulary
| storage хранение tool орудие, инструмент environment окружающая среда manipulation манипулирование, управление, обработка to perform выполнять apparent явный, очевидный to involve включать в себя, вовлекать, участвовать to handle управлять, руководить, обращаться, обрабатывать (данные) spatial пространственный means средство, способ diverse разный, разнообразный relationship связь to perceive различать, понимать malleable податливый, уступчивый, гибкий to up-date модернизировать to disseminate распространять to be available иметься, имеющийся, быть доступным (пригодным) to customize делать на заказ, заказывать | to process обрабатывать to enable давать возможность to refine усовершенствовать, повышать качество fаcility возможности, оборудование, приспособле ние, аппаратура, благоприятные условия to implement выполнять, осуществлять, внедрять to maintain содержать, обслуживать, содержать в исправности, эксплуатировать ultimately в конечном счете currency текущий момент, продолжительность во времени, своевременность completeness законченность, завершенность to generate генерировать, производить, поражать, вызывать to distinguish отличать, характеризовать, различать to explore осваивать, исследовать to accomplish завершать, доводить до конца, выполнять, совершенствовать goal цель to pool объединять, соединять |
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Geographic Information Systems are computer-based systems 1 that are used for collection, processing, editing, storage, manipulation, visualization and analysis of objects and phenomena where geographic information is an important characteristic to the analysis. GISs are a powerful tool 2 for the effective use of geographic information.
The history of GISs started from “computer-mapping” programs in the early 1960s. The Harvard Graphic Laboratory was one of the most effective research groups developing computer-based map analysis programs.
The fundamental components of a GIS and its environment (GIS-environment) are:
- input;
- data storage and retrieval 3;
- manipulation;
- data management;
- output.
There are many manual systems that are used routinely to perform these functions and are effective for the tasks they perform and under the conditions in which they operate. The power of GIS 4 is most apparent when the quantity of data involved 5 is too large to be handled manually. The ability to perform complex spatial analysis rapidly provides a quantitative as well as qualitative advantage.
The GIS offers a practical means to manage large and diverse spatial data base and provides effective tools to understand the relationships among diverse phenomena. The GIS has not only made the production and analysis of geographic information more efficient, it is changing the way geographic information is perceived and used 6. It is a technology that makes geographic data more malleable.
GIS technology has dramatically changed the rate at which geographic information can be produced, updated and disseminated. Map updating tasks that required months of manual effort are now done in hours, and spatial analysis capabilities 7 that were unavailable a decade ago are now commonplace 8. Today a GIS can make the special purpose presentation of data quick and inexpensive. As a result, the physical map becomes a customized “snap shot” 9 of a continuously changing geographic data base. The processing power of the GIS has also enabled geographic information to be used in a qualitatively different way 10.
Despite the analytical power of this technology, a GIS, like any other system, does not and cannot exist on its own. To be successful it must exist within a suitable organizational framework 11.
There must be an organization of people, facilities and equipment responsible for implementing and maintaining the GIS. Ultimately, a GIS is used to produce information that is needed by a user. The client may be a person or a group of people. To be useful to the client, information must be of the right kind and quality, presented in an appropriate format to the client to use and to be available at the right time. The GIS is operated by staff who report to a management 12. That management is given the mandate to operate the GIS facility 13 in such a manner as to serve some user community within an industry, business, or government organization.
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The data used in a GIS represent something about the real world at some point in time 14. The most important aspects of data quality are: accuracy, precision, time, currency and completeness. The information in a GIS is represented in two basic forms: as maps and as tables.
Often GIS is confused with cartographic systems that store maps in automated form. While the main function of the cartographic system is to generate computer-stored maps, the function of a GIS is to create information by integrating data layers 15 to show the original data in different ways and from different perspectives 16.
What distinguishes a GIS from other systems is the ability to integrate georeferenced data. GISs are a powerful resource that provide flexible methods for exploring relationships among geographic data and assisting experts from diverse fields in pooling knowledge to solve complex problems, and to assist the users in accomplishing the goals of their respective organizations.
Notes:
1....computer-based systems ... автоматизированные системы
2....a powerful tool мощная (высокопроизводительная) технология, мощное орудие
3....data storage and retrieval хранение, извлечение и поиск (выборка) данных
4....the power of GIS мощности (возможности) ГИС
5....the quantity of data involved представленный массив данных
6....information is perceived and used информация расшифровывается и используется
7....spatial analysis capabilities возможности пространственного анализа
8....are now commonplace всегда в базе данных (имеются под рукой)
9....a customized "snap- shot" карта на заказ; "моментальный снимок"
10....in a qualitatively different way более качественно (достоверно)
11....within a suitable organizational framework в рамках соответствующей организационной интегрированной системы
12....report to a management подчиняются руководящему органу
13....the GIS facility программы ГИС (зд.)
14....about the real world at some point in time в реальном режиме времени и пространства
15....by integrating data layers посредством слияния (интеграции) различных слоев данных
16....from different perspectives с различной позицией специалистов
Practical work № 7
I. Find English equivalents for the following:
1) Управление базой данных.
2) ГИС - среда.
3) Система обработки данных вручную.
4) Как количественное, так и качественное преимущество.
5) Связь между различными явлениями.
6) Задачи обновления данных.
7) Возможности обработки данных.
8) Информация должна быть достоверной.
9) Руководящему органу дается право.
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10) Некоторая группа пользователей.
11) На бумажном носителе (карте) или в цифровом виде (таблицах).
12) Помочь пользователю в достижении цели.
II. Give Russian equivalents for the following:
1) Effective use of geographic information.
2) "Computer-mapping" programs.
3) The most effective research group.
4) The fundamental components.
5) The quantity of data is too large to be handled manually.
6) The relationship among diverse phenomena.
7) This information is needed by the user.
8) Within an industry, business or government organization.
9) In automated form.
10) Flexible methods for exploring relationship...
11) Experts from diverse fields.
III. Translate the following sentences into Russian:
1) GIS is one of the most powerful systems for the effective use of geographic information.
2) This research team is one of the most effective groups developing computer-based maps analysis programs.
3) The ability to perform complex spatial analysis in a period of time is very important nowadays.
4) The GIS makes the production and analysis of geographic data more efficient.
5) A GIS cannot exist on its own (doesn't operate in a vacuum).
6) The information must be presented in an appropriate format to the client to use and to be available at the right time.
7) The most important aspects of data quality are: accuracy, precision, time, currency and completeness.
8) The main function of a GIS is to create information by integrating data layers to show the original data in different ways and from different perspectives.
9) GISs are a powerful resource that provides flexible methods for exploring relationships among geographic data and assisting experts from diverse fields, in pooling knowledge to solve complex problems.
10) The ability to integrate georeferenced data distinguishes a GIS from other systems.
Thank you!
Criteria of marks:
16 –22 - “satisfactory”
23-30 – “good”
31-33 – “excellent”
Post-reading exercises:
Exercise 1. Answer the questions using information from the text:
1) What is a GIS?
2) What do you know about GIS’s history?
3) What are the fundamental components of a GIS?
4) Where is the power of a GIS most apparent?
5) What is necessary for a GIS to be successful?
6) What are the most important aspects of data quality?
7) In what basic forms is the information presented?
8) What is the main function of a GIS?
9) What is the main function of cartographic systems?
Exercise 2. Retell the text “ GIS ” using the questions above.
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