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Geographical Information Systems (GIS) data

In this article, all GIS data is identified, specifically within the ArcGIS programs of Esri. The data that is collected and stored within geographic databases is the heart of GIS science that distinguishes this science that links information with maps, when talking about Data Two types of data should come to mind:

1. Vector: It is vector data resulting from digitizing and computing operations, which are represented in the form of a point, a line and an area.
2. Raster: It is data represented through cells (Pixel) as it is known in any image stored inside the computer or viewed by the eye. The higher the number of cells, the higher the accuracy.

Table showing the difference between GIS data types:

Difference	(Raster Data)	(Vector Data)
spatial accuracy	few	High
Analysis and presentation	Slower	Fast
File size	big	small
the use	It is considered an important base map for time tracking and its applications	It is preferable to plan, choose sites and all kinds of analysis and build a geographical database

Examples of GIS data types:

1. Vector: Layers of all kinds (Point, Line, Polygon)
2. Raster: aerial and space photographs, elevation, slope and slope maps, and paper maps of all types and sizes.

• This is generally a definition of GIS data, but more information about this data will be explained at the end of this article. Follow the article to benefit more.

• How to get the data with an illustrative example that shows the difference between GIS data types:

1. Any person employed in a company or governmental or non-governmental organization within a department interested in the field of GIS is asked to digitize a specific geographic area for a purpose.
2. Digitization is intended to transfer data from outside the GIS environment to within the GIS environment within a geographic database regardless of The programs used The employee can be a surveyor who monitors certain points and then converts them and computes them on the AutoCAD program and performs the work of saving, storing, analyzing and outputting maps. Also, the AutoCAD file can be converted to ArcGIS programs within a geographical database or in the form of a Shapefile.
3. To understand the difference between GIS data types, specifically ArcGIS software data, for example, a GIS developer employee working on ArcGIS software is asked to create a geographic database for a specific geographic area, first a scan of paper maps for this geographic area is then archived electronically within the computer Or the server, then these images (maps) are processed to make a geographical reference to them, in other words, each map is linked to a geographical location in addition to treating the borders between these maps, after that, digitizing these maps, creating layers and drawing the required geographical phenomena, then Adding data. Non-spatial data can be added from Excel tables to be transferred to a software environment

• ArcGIS and its association with spatial data.

So, through the last example, three types of data can be classified within a geographic information systems (GIS) environment, especially using ArcGIS programs:

1. Raster: These are maps that have been scanned and archived electronically on a computer or server.
2. Vector: These are the layers that have been computed after processing the map images.
3. Table, which are Excel tables that contain non-spatial metadata through similar data between them and the spatial data that are linked and merged with the layers within the geographical database.

• Before the end of this article will be

Defining data types within the ArcGIS software environment:

1. Raster: It means raster data, which are images of all kinds, whether remote sensing outputs, satellite and aerial visuals, digital elevation models and paper maps after scanning and saving them on a computer or server. These data are included in many analysis processes and appropriate conditions. To improve its quality and bring it as close to reality as possible, it is represented by the size of the cells, as the higher the number of cells, the higher the accuracy.
2. Vector: It means the vector data that has a direction characteristic according to the geographical phenomenon that is represented and adding data to it through the data table. For example, a point can be represented by its coordinates, and a street line can be represented through a set of points that are connected between them to become a line that represents a street, as well. Polygons or area, which originally consist of several points called vertices. These vertices are connected in order from the first point to the last point to be connected to the first point, resulting in a polygon or an area that represents a phenomenon such as the boundaries of a residential community or a plot of land. These data are spatial in the sense of it A valid, clear geographic location linked to a coordinate system according to the country where this data is used.
3. Table: It means a table, which is a table that contains rows and columns just like the data table found in vector data, but the difference between them is that the table data is descriptive, not spatial, while spatial vector data has a clear and correct geographic location. The table can be created from within the ArcGIS software environment Or convert any type of tables, the most famous of which is the tables of Office programs, Excel, and in another way, you can get the data of an Excel table by converting it to a Table and then linking this non-spatial metadata to spatial data, i.e. layers within the ArcGIS software environment, and the linking process is done by more than The most important method is the Spatial Join analysis tool, through a field from the data table that contains data similar to the data table of the target layer. The similar data is read between the two fields, and then the data is transferred from the table to the data table of the target layer, and the metadata becomes spatial data.