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ENV510 Landscape Ecology and GIS
Definitions
& descriptions | Concepts
& issues | Setting
up GIS | Using
GIS
| Applications
Representation
| Spatial data | Referencing
| Data issues
| Accuracy
| Error
| Management
| File systems | DBMS
| Hierarchical
| Network
| Relational
| OO
GISs normally
store more than one file, ie they contain a collection of files. This means
that more complex data management is required and a more elaborate file structure
is needed. This is the database structure.
There are
four main types of database structure that GIS users need to be familiar with:
hierarchical
network
relational
object oriented
Database
management systems (DBMS) are computer programs which are used to organise
and manage the database. DBMS aim to make data quickly available to users while
maintaining integrity, protecting data against deletion and corruption, and
facilitating the addition, removal and updating of data as and when required
(Burrough
and McDonnell, 1998).
Access to data is usually through a high-level programming language and a user-friendly query language eg the Structured Query Language (SQL) which is the most common query language used (Burrough and McDonnell, 1998).
Do
this - Review
database structures
- Why?
1.
List the differences between hierarchical, network, relational and object
oriented database structures.
2. Which of these do you think might be the best for use in a GIS?
More?
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/courses/klink/gis.notes/ncgia/u43.html#SEC43
This site will provide
a description of hierarchical, network and relational database structures.
You could also read the Burrough and McDonnell chapter on 'Geographical data
in the computer'
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