Geospatial data is data which has a geographic component or has information regarding its location on earth. It can be as simple as a polygon or as complex as a raster. The data indicates its real-world location on earth which is very useful for mapping applications.
Here at GeoAsset, we specialize in this special type of data, where we can solve real world problems.
From GIS Shapefiles to Rasters, below are a few subtypes of geospatial data:
Aerial Rasters,
The Bedrock of Geospatial Data.
Look at the sky, you may not see it but there are hundreds of objects floating around our planet, of course these are satellites on earth’s orbit. Each day, satellites capture hundreds of terabytes of data. Some of this data is in the form of images and later developed into a single image called rasters that are images taken from thousands of miles above the earth. Geospatial data is founded upon such data and layers upon layers of GIS data is generated from these images. You can get a lot of information from aerial rasters, in fact all the data on Google Maps is verified using the same rasters that are generated from satellites.
Google Maps and Google Earth KMZs,
The Entry Point for Aspiring Geographers.
We are all aware of how user-friendly Google is, as they are the leader in providing geospatial data at scale. Google maps itself is an engine that runs on geospatial data. From your first search, you can find anything at ease. If you want to create data, Google makes this easy with its free application called Google Earth. Google Earth allows you as the user to easily create all kinds of geospatial data. Finally, the output of this data is called a .kml (Keyhole Markup Language) or a .kmz (Zip-compressed .kml) which can easily be shared with its small size.
You can download Google Earth for free on Google’s website here
Geospatial Software Data,
Advanced Tools for Modern Cartographers.
While Google Earth is a great application, it can still be limited to what you can do with geospatial data. This is where different companies such as Esri or free open-source projects such as QGIS can provide more advanced geospatial applications. The possibilities are nearly limitless as what you can do with massive amounts of geospatial data. Want to create a buffer zone approximately 1 mile away from a point? Done. Want to clip a large dataset of data into a small piece that will load faster? Easy. There are hundreds of different tools available in these applications which have all kinds of uses. A common output of this data is called a shapefile (.shp) which contains spatial data with a coordinate system. Which can be much more precise than any geospatial object generated with a Google Earth KMZ. Esri has also created a proprietary geospatial file type called a geodatabase (.gdb) which is even more optimized, loading geospatial data efficiently. When you hear geospatial, you often hear ArcGIS or QGIS afterwards, of which millions of GIS professionals use daily.
LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)
New technology to unearth the surface.
As you may know, the earth is not perfectly round, and there is a new way to see this on a wide scale using LiDAR technology. Developed recently in the last few decades, this technology has been a relatively new force within the geospatial community. Using planes and now even drones use lasers to point at the ground. The time it takes to bounce back will accurately measure the elevation on the surface. This is then done on a wide scale to ultimately generate a large set of points containing its elevation of the surface. This relatively simple process becomes complex when it is combined to provide accurate elevation measurements. The steer size of the data is what makes it hard to utilize but since the progression of technology in the past few years, the utilization of the LiDAR has been easier than ever. More advanced graphical processing units or GPUs now have the processing power to handle the large datasets of LiDAR. The output of LiDAR has a massive amount of applications, which include finding the lowest point of a given area, identifying structures, and even ancient ruins. Ever since this technology has been available, its use has fascinated the geospatial world.
In conclusion,
From starting out with a simple search of Google Maps to the complex nature identifying elevations with LiDAR data, geospatial data is wide in range and scope. Rasters are the bedrock of all geospatial data which can provide more advanced use with GIS applications like QGIS or ArcGIS. The impact of geospatial data can be felt in nearly every aspect of our society today. It’s important to realize geospatial data’s potential and let it guide your decisions.
Geospatial data is mighty as it is powerful and can provide guidance and awareness of your business. Getting familiar with this data will allow you greater insights into your operations.
For more information about how GIS can optimize your business, read our other article!
Thanks for reading the article!
Let us know if you have any questions regarding GIS, we can help! Reach us here
if you want to more learn about GeoAsset and what we offer as geospatial consultant, visit our homepage
