Landscape Lines 10: Geographic Information Systems
Landscape Lines 10: Geographic Information Systems. Cultural Landscape Guidance Documents. Landscape Lines 10. NPS Park Cultural Landscapes Program. Washington, D.C.
A guide to Geographic Information Systems, part of the Landscape Lines series from the Park Cultural Landscapes Program. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to input, store, manipulate, analyze, and map spatial data. The first GIS systems used manual techniques to perform the functions that are now computerized. Computers and GIS software have continued to become more sophisticated and can generate maps and new data with far greater efficiency than the initial manual techniques. The analytical capabilities of GIS are considered among the most important uses of the technology, making it a valuable tool in cultural landscape management. GIS can help in examining landscape changes over time by comparing current conditions to historic maps or modeling outcomes of treatment alternatives in a CLR. GIS is also necessary for mapping, or cartographic output. Digital spatial data is more efficient to store, retrieve, and use than physical maps. This guidance document identifies primary ways of applying GIS to cultural landscape managment, including technical considerations.
- Type
- Published Report
- Publisher
- NPS Park Cultural Landscapes Program
- Units
- CRPS
- Keywords
- CAD, Cartographic model, cartographic output, coordinate systems, CRGIS, CRSS, data storage, Digital Data, Digital Orthophotography, GIS, Global Positioning Systems, GPS, Ian McHarg, map scanning, Mapping, raster data, Spatial data, vector data