1.1 What Is Geospatial Technology?
geospatial technology a number of different high-tech systems that acquire, analyze, manage, store, or visualize various types of location-based data
Geographic information system (GIS) computer-based mapping, analysis, and retrieval of location-based data
remote sensing acquisition of data and imagery from the use of satellites or aircraft
satellite imagery digital images of Earth acquired by sensors onboard orbiting spaceborne platforms
aerial photography acquisition of imagery of the ground taken from an airborne platform
Global Positioning System (GPS) acquisition of real-time location information from a series of satellites in Earth’s orbit
Although geospatial technology is being used in numerous fields today, the term “geospatial technology” doesn’t appear to have penetrated into everyday usage. Words like “satellite images” and “Google Earth,” and acronyms like “GIS” and “GPS” are growing increasingly commonplace, yet the phrase “geospatial technology” seems relatively unknown, though it incorporates all of these things and more. Geospatial technology describes the use of a number of different high-tech systems and tools that acquire, analyze, manage, store, or visualize various types of location-based data. The field of geospatial technology encompasses several fields and techniques, including:
Geographic information system (GIS): Computer-based mapping, analysis, and retrieval of location-based data.
- Remote sensing: Acquisition of data and imagery from the use of satellites (satellite imagery) or aircraft (aerial photography).
- Global Positioning System (GPS): Acquisition of real-time location information from a series of satellites in Earth’s orbit.
There are numerous related fields that utilize one or more of these types of technologies. For instance, an in-car navigation system already contains extensive road-network data, mapped out and ready to use, which includes information about address ranges, speed limits, road connections, and special features of roads (such as one-way streets). It also requires the mapping of points of interest (such as gas stations or restaurants), and should be capable of referencing new user-defined destinations. It also has to be able to plot the car’s real-time position in relation to these maps and may even have a feature that shows a representation of the surrounding landscape as taken from an overhead viewpoint. Many of these types of systems combine different geospatial technologies to work together in one application.