Overview of sources and methods
In this lesson, you will
- get an overview of the available data sources for Geographic Information Systems.
- learn how to assess the quality and coverage of source material.
- learn how information is available in digital format through many Internet web sites
Learning Objectives
- Desirable data could have been collected by an institute, organization or individual and be available at a cost or free. These data exist as the GIS digital data sources, paper maps, remotely sensed digital data, remotely sensed satellite images and aerial photographs, Global Positioning System data and field data collection sheets, and stored on different media. These different types of sources will be introduced briefly. Moreover, you will visit several web sites that distribute Swiss National Datasets. In addition, the web pages of data agencies which distribute national, regional and global datasets are listed as the optional links for your visit.
- A proverb, Garbage In and Garbage Out applies to GIS. It is important to assess the data quality, before using the data in GIS. The positional accuracy and attribute accuracy of data is critical for producing quality results from GIS data processing and analyses. You will learn how to quantify the positional accuracy and attribute accuracy of datasets. Moreover, you will also learn key issues of data that describe data quality. At the end of this lesson, you should be able to find the necessary data and justify the quality of data for your future projects.
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