Design of a geographical information system for a heterogeneous scientific community
- 1 January 1988
- journal article
- balancing technology-and-applications
- Published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Geographical Information Science
- Vol. 2 (2) , 171-189
- https://doi.org/10.1080/02693798808927893
Abstract
This paper is based upon a study of user needs for a geographical information system (GIS) within the community of scientists in the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in Great Britain, together with those in the universities and polytechnics whose research is funded by the Council. This community is diverse in terms of the geographical dispersion of users, the variety of computing skills which exist, the characteristics of the data held in each institute of NERC and the scientific and contract research being undertaken. A description of the user needs study is followed by a discussion of the relevant characteristics of spatial data structures and how these match the functionality identified as needed, and of the form of the ideal user interface and the need for GIS training facilities. Based upon this analysis, a conceptual design for a NERC GIS is described, together with a review of the commercial GIS on offer and of the literature, and a consideration of both the rapid evolution of technology and those constraints imposed by-other decisions by the Council.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- Teach yourself geographical information systems The design, creation and use of demonstrators and tutorsInternational Journal of Geographical Information Science, 1987
- The development of integrated geo-information systemsInternational Journal of Remote Sensing, 1986
- A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK AND COMPARISON OF SPATIAL DATA MODELSCartographica: The International Journal for Geographic Information and Geovisualization, 1984
- On approaches to polygonal decomposition for hierarchical image representationComputer Vision, Graphics, and Image Processing, 1983
- Spatially referenced methods of processing raster and vector dataImage and Vision Computing, 1983
- Vectorization of raster images using hierarchical methodsComputer Graphics and Image Processing, 1982
- MAPQUERYACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics, 1982
- Integration of Map and Remote Sensing Data. Software Framework at the Department of Physical Geography, University of StockholmGeografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, 1981
- Computing Dirichlet Tessellations in the PlaneThe Computer Journal, 1978
- Cartographic Data StructuresThe American Cartographer, 1975