Construction of geographic information

It is a long way from the reality to a geographic information model (GIM).

From the reality to a geographic information model

Figure 1.3 Figure 1.3

Modelling the reality (B-SM)

What to retain from the complexity of reality?
Anything relevant to the objectives of the study, but in a structured way.

From the real world to a model of the reality

Figure 1.4 Figure 1.4

What are objectives of the study?
To answer to this obvious but tedious question, one should identify:

Objectives of spatial analysis

Figure 1.5 Figure 1.5

How concerned elements of the reality can be organised in a structured set? This leads to the definition of information content and its structure:

Collecting data from the reality (B-DC)

What are available sources of data for the production of a relevant model of geographic information (Geographic Database, GDB)?
To answer to this complex and time consuming query, one should identify and verify:

Sources of data

Figure 1.6Figure 1.6

How to design a methodological process to collect and to produce relevant numerical data?
Data collection and production of numerical data require knowledge and expertise about the nature of the source and the phenomenon:

From terrain to geo-data: Set-up of acquisition procedure

Figure 1.7Figure 1.7

Conditioning and regionalising data (B-AN, Lessons 2 to 4)

How to produce a relevant model of geographic information from the collected set of data?
Sampled data sets do not fully express the distribution of phenomena properties throughout space and time. They have to be conditioned to become Geographic Information, an expression of the model of reality:

Organising and managing Geographic Information (B-DM)

How to efficiently organise Geographic Information (GDB) for reliable updates and fruitful exploitations?
The geographical database should be organised and structured in a way that allows safe and reliable maintenance and a multidimensional access to information for its exploitation: