GIS and Resilience

GIS, Cartography, and Resilience

Tool of Statecraft

as far back as Rome

Divide conquered land
Reclaim appropriated state lands
State revenue (taxes)
late 16th and 17th C
rise of capitalist social relations
Survey (governance)

Estate map

late 13th or 14th C onwards

Profit
Precision, permanence, governance and management of natural resources
Describe/plot boundaries
Resolve/avoid disputes
Tenants, landlords, and between landlords
Legal security

Palomino, Diego (1549). Traça de la conquista del capitán Diego Palomino: [de las Relaciónes Geográficas, Provincia de Chuquimayo, Perú]
Kain, R. J. P., & Baigent, E. (1992). The Cadastral Map in the Service of the State: A History of Property Mapping. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Timothy B Norris
Librarian Associate Professor, Data Science
UM Libraries - Institute for Data Science and Computing
tnorris@miami.edu

You can follow along at:
https://bit.ly/3HROmSf

GIS, Cartography, and Resilience

what is a map?
what is GIS?
what is geospatial data?
what questions can I ask?

what are coordinate systems?
what is cartography?
what stories can I tell?

What is a Map?

Maps tell stories ...
... the story is about place and space
Maps are representations of reality
Location and attributes: spatial relationships

Maps are performances
... and they have purpose
Maps are abstractions
symbolization and generalization

The 6200 BC “map” of Çatalhöyük in Turkey

Is this a Map?

National Geographic made the map of the US based on translations of place names from their origins in Native American languages.

Hereford Mappa Mundi, Richard of Haldingham and Lafford, c 1300

Gerhard Mercator, 1569

Napoleon's march on Moscow March 1812, Charles Joseph Minard

When a large outbreak occurred in London in 1854, Dr. John Snow created a map that settled a debate between two schools of thought: that cholera is transmitted not through the inhalation of infected air, but through the ingestion of contaminated water or food.

credit: Erica Fischer - 2012

map credit: infrapedia

Ovenden, M. (2005). Metro Maps of the World. Capital Transport Pub, London. Cartography by Alan Foale of LS London.

UM Office of Civic Engagement and the UM Institute for Data Science and Computing. Miami Affordability Project. https://map.idsc.miami.edu/ (accessed 2022-06-22).

Climate Central. Coastal Risk Screening Tool: Land Below 10.0 Feet of Water. https://coastal.climatecentral.org/ (accessed 2022-06-22).

Climate Central. Stakes Rising: 2100. https://stakes.climatecentral.org/
(accessed 2022-06-22).

Climate Central. Extreme Scenario 2100. https://xs.climatecentral.org/
(accessed 2022-06-22).

Savino Miller Design Studio (2022). Adaptation Plan: Little River Adaptation Action Area 16. https://adaptation-action-area-in-little-river-mdc.hub.arcgis.com (accessed 2022-06-24).

UM Drone Survey (2022-04-04)

UM Tree Inventory (ongoing)

What stories will you tell with maps?
Tension between fiction and reality, map and territory
The critical turn in cartography - maps and power
Story (imaginative) vs. grid (lack of imagination)
Maps as navigational tools for data as well as the world
Maps are more interesting than reality?

What stories will you tell with maps?
Tension between fiction and reality, map and territory
The critical turn in cartography - maps and power
Story (imaginative) vs. grid (lack of imagination)
Maps as navigational tools for data as well as the world
Maps are more interesting than reality?

What stories will you tell with maps?
Tension between fiction and reality, map and territory
The critical turn in cartography - maps and power
Story (imaginative) vs. grid (lack of imagination)
Maps as navigational tools for data as well as the world
Maps are more interesting than reality?

What stories will you tell with maps?
Tension between fiction and reality, map and territory
The critical turn in cartography - maps and power
Story (imaginative) vs. grid (lack of imagination)
Maps as navigational tools for data as well as the world
Maps are more interesting than reality?

What stories will you tell with maps?
Tension between fiction and reality, map and territory
The critical turn in cartography - maps and power
Story (imaginative) vs. grid (lack of imagination)
Maps as navigational tools for data as well as the world
Maps are more interesting than reality?

What stories will you tell with maps?
Tension between fiction and reality, map and territory
The critical turn in cartography - maps and power
Story (imaginative) vs. grid (lack of imagination)
Maps as navigational tools for data as well as the world
Maps are more interesting than reality?

Defining GIS

Geographic Information System
- collections of tools, data, hardware, and people
Geographic Information Science
- systematic inquiry into research questions about the relationship between GIS and socio-natural systems
Geographic Information conStruction
- tool building for storage, collection or analysis of geospatial data

Wright, D. J., Goodchild, M. F., & Proctor, J. D. (1997). Demystifying the Persistent Ambiguity of GIS as ‘Tool’ versus ‘Science’.
Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 87(2), 346-362. doi:10.1111/0004-5608.872057

GIS as a collection of datasets that are organized in a systemic way (as layers).

The system of organization can be digital (software) or analog (drawn on paper).

The actual process of organization is done with a purpose by human beings.

adapted from: https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_essentials-of-geographic-information-systems/index.html

Geospatial Abstractions

Physical Model
(files on disk)
Logical Model
(data structures - vector and raster)
Conceptual Model
(discrete or continuous)
Reality
(the world out there)

Key elements of GIS Assemblages

Tool set
- collection of software programs
- in some cases referred to as a stack
Data model
- Relational databases (tables)
- Extensible data models (trees)
- Raster data (images)
Scripting/programming languages

Common Desktop GIS Assemblages

Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)

ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Online

Tool set
- ArcGIS Desktop
- ArcGIS Pro *NEW*
Relational data model
- shapefiles (.shp)
- geodatabases (.gdb)
- geotiffs (.tif)
- database servers (SQLServer, posgreSQL)
Scripting languages
- python

Common GIS Assemblages

Quantum GIS - QGIS (FOSS)

Tool set
- QGIS - http://www.qgis.org/en/site/
- base: Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL)
- base: Open GIS Reference (OGR)
Relational and Tree data model
- shapfiles (.shp) (relational)
- json (.geosjon) (trees)
- geotiffs (.tif) (raster)
- relational database servers (postgreSQL, oracle)
Scripting languages
- python

Common GIS Assemblages

Python or R (FOSS)

Tool set
- Python - https://www.python.org/
- R - https://www.r-project.org/
- packages: GDAL/OGR, geopandas, ggplot, sp
- leaflet for visualization
Physical and logical data models
- raw text, csv (tables)
- raw text, json, geojson (trees)
- raw text, grids (raster)
- relational databases (sql)
Scripting languages
- Python
- R

Common Desktop GIS Assemblages
University of Miami Resources

for an ESRI account contact Abraham Parrish (GIS Librarian): aparrish@miami.edu
for Library GIS resources see http://sp.library.miami.edu/subjects/gis
for Geography department resources contact Chris Hanson (GIS lab manager) hansonc@miami.edu
for ArcGIS Pro contact Maria L. Estevanez (RSMAS) mestevanez@rsmas.miami.edu
for FOSS GIS contact Timothy Norris (UML/IDSC) tnorris@miami.edu

Geospatial Data

Physical Model
(files on disk)
Logical Model
(vector and raster)
Conceptual Model
(discrete or continuous)
Reality
(the world out there)

Raster Structure
geotiff, grid
Raster Model
Object View
Continuous
Entity:
Temperature, Topography

Vector Structure
shapefile, geodatabase, json
Vector Model
Object View:
Discrete
Entity:
Trees, Houses, Streets

adapted from: https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_essentials-of-geographic-information-systems/index.html

Vector Data Model

Points, Lines and Polygons

all based on x,y coordinate pairs of geographic data
lines and polygons are built from groups of points
attribute data is linked to points, lines, or polygons (features)
each feature is associated with a unique record in an attribute table

Vector Data Model

Common File Formats

Name	Extension	Source
shapefile	.shp *	ESRI
geojson	.json	open
geodatabase	.gdb	ESRI
google earth	.kml	open
autoCAD	.dxf .dwg	AutoDesk

* .shp is the main file extension, others include: .shx .dbf .sbn .prj
(and more - be careful!!)

Raster Data Model

Grids of Rows and Columns

each cell represents an x,y coordinate
each cell has a specific size on the surface of the earth (scale)
cell scale is based on the resolution of the image
each cell has only one value (color or categorical)

Raster Data Model

Resolution

Original resolution of the collected data limits spatial accuracy
Can’t improve by replicating cells to create smaller size cells
Location implied; rounded to cell coordinate (center of cell)

Raster Data Model

Types of Data

Continuous
elevation, temperature
Categorical/Discrete
land use

Raster Data Model

Common File Formats

Name	Extension	Source
geotiff	.tiff .tif	open
jpg	.jpg	open
Arcinfo GRID	*	ESRI
ERDAS imagine	.img	ERDAS

* grids are stored in directories with many files all with the extension .adf; all files must be present.

and Slippy Data (tiles) ...

In ESRI you have several choices - add basemap
for QGIS, google search for ...
NOT suitable for printing!! The real alternative is good raster data

Common geospatial questions

this here / here this

where?
what (who)?
how much?
extent or area?
[ when? ]

Common geospatial questions

analysis

distance between (travel time)?
path of least resistance (route)?
overlap of areas (jurisdictions)?
areal statistics (demographics)
land use / land cover change
clusters (spatial statistics)
interpolation
[ why? ]

Common geospatial questions

models

watersheds (flows)
traffic patterns
pollution
view sheds
geo-fencing (buffers)

Common geospatial questions

before you start remember

scope of question (is it doable)
scale and type of output (design question)
visualization (print, online, etc)
how will you get the data!!!

Map Projections and
Coordinate Systems

Image: D.M. Swart
Artistic cartography:
creative ways to peel the globe

Coordinate Reference Systems

Datum
Geographic coordinate system
Projected coordinate system
Geospatial data must have: datum + geographic coordinate system
Projected coordinate systems are optional
(but needed for measurement)

Datum

Center of the earth?
That which is given?
Ellipsoid
mathematically defined surface approximating the shape of the earth
Geoid
surface of the earths gravity field - approx sea level

Geographical Coordinate Systems

Latitude and Longitude - spherical coordinates
Very common, but cannot be used for measurement
Things to remember:
- ESPG - European Petroleum Survey Group
- WGS 84 - most common globally - ESPG:4326
- NAD 83 - most common in the United States - ESPG:4269

Projected Coordinate Systems

meters or feet - Cartesian coordinates
Used for measurement and mapping
Things to remember:
- Projected Coordinate Systems are specific to the area being mapped
- In the USA: the "State Plane System"
- Around the Globe: the "UTM Grid"
- For web based mapping systems
  WGS 84 Web Mercator - ESPG:3857

Cartography

Generalization, Classification, and Typography

Quick Overview

Generalization
- The decision of what geographic phenomena are represented on the map
Classification
- The decision of how to display attribute information that represents geographic phenomena
Typography
- The decision of how to place words on a map

Scale Matters

Purpose Matters

Words Matter

“Map Generalization [selection and simplification]: Little white lies and lots of them”

Monmonier, M. (1996 [1991]). How to Lie With Maps. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Selection

Scale matters: several examples of selection across different scales

Purpose matters: selection across constant scale where on the left physical geography is emphasized whereas on the right there is a base map good for showing attribute information of non-physical phenomena

Robinson, A. H., J. L. Morrison, et al. (1995 [1953]). Elements of Cartography, sixth edition. USA, John Wiley and Sons.

Generalization

How long is the coastline of Great Britain??

Scale Matters: for a large scale world map, the polygon on the left will be sufficient, but for a poster map of the world more detail will be necessary.

Benoît Mandelbrot (1967). "How Long Is the Coast of Britain? Statistical Self-Similarity and Fractional Dimension", Science, New Series, Vol. 156, No. 3775. (May 5, 1967), pp. 636-638.

Classification

Classification is not always desirable

Attribute data directly linked to the visual variable
- the color is linked to the data (a satellite image)
- the size is linked to the data (a proportional symbol map)
For interval or ratio measurement

Classed: how many classes?

Clorapleth: 5-7 is recommended
Chorachromatic: < 7
How to decide on class divisions?

A non-classed proportional symbol map. Note how you automatically class them in your mind.

Classed

2008 Presidential Election by County

Mark Newman - mejn@umich.edu. Department of Physics and Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan. Under creative commons license.

non-Classed

2008 Presidential Election by County with Linear Percentages

Mark Newman - mejn@umich.edu. Department of Physics and Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan. Under creative commons license.

Classification