Resource 1: What is spatial? presentation notes Section Section - - PDF document

Resource 1: ‘What is spatial?’ presentation notes

Section Section text Notes

• 1. Spatial

concepts What is spatial? Conceptually, spatial thinking or spatial concepts relate to space and how things are arranged in space. It refers to the location, proximity, direction, distance and associated patterns of correlation that can be seen between multiple features. What is ‘spatial’ and geospatial thinking? ‘Spatial’ relates to where things are in space or where things are in relation to other things.

• 2. Spatial

technologies The term spatial technologies or geospatial technologies is really an umbrella term that covers a range of technology tools. Essentially, tools that help to answer ‘where?’ questions can be said to be spatial technologies; but modern usage of the term really focuses on three main tools:

• Global Navigational Satellite Systems

(GNSS)

• Remote sensing
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Tools that help us understand ‘where’

• questions. Where

things are in relation to

• ther things.
• 3. GNSS

GNSS or Global Navigational Satellite Systems are networks of satellites that orbit the earth that provide locational information to those with compatible receivers on the ground. The best known GNSS is the Global Positioning System (GPS) network established by the United States of America. There are other networks online or being developed such as the GLONASS network (Russian), Galileo network (European) and the Chinese BeiDou system. The term GPS is often used interchangeably to refer to any or all of these networks. They work by allowing a receiver on the ground to connect to multiple satellites in orbit above the earth. Each satellite broadcasts its positional information and receivers on the ground can pick up multiple signals from multiple satellites to ‘triangulate’ the position of the receiver. Examples of things that use GNSS include fitness apps, social media, in-car GPS, mapping apps, banking apps and many more.

Maroon single-column fact sheet template 2

Connecting to more satellites greatly increases the accuracy of the receiver.

• 4. Remote

sensing Remote sensing is basically the collection of information about our earth without being in contact with the earth, this applies to any planetary body really. In a practical sense this refers to satellite imagery, aerial photography and, increasingly, the use of Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems or drones. It isn’t only visible light that can be collected. Sensors can collect data from across the electromagnetic spectrum. Notice that data from different wavelengths highlights different features of the

• environment. E.g.,

vegetation, water. Note that RPAS, drones and UAVs are terms that are almost used interchangeably.

• 5. GIS

Geographic Information System (GIS): the phrase is made up of two parts; ‘Geographic’ which refers to the geography of the world around us and ‘Information System’ which is a fancy way of saying a database. A GIS is therefore a geographic database: a database that represents (some of) the Earth's

• geography. It is important to remember this link as

you explore what a GIS is and is not. When you use a tool like Google Earth to search for an address, Google digs into its, rather large, database of almost every address on earth and finds the row with your search result in it. That row is connected to a point on the planet which you are taken to by Google Earth. Although initially used for natural resource management in Canada GIS can be used across all aspects of our society: Police use spatial data to map where crimes occur, emergency services manage their resources using spatial technologies, biologists can map species using GIS, businesses can see where their customers are using these tools and local councils can manage problems like graffiti with mapping tools. As long as the data is connected to somewhere on earth, GIS can be used to analyse and help solve issues. Examine different ways that data can be represented in the gif.

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• 6. Further

information There are lots of career opportunities in the spatial field, to find out more visit the Destination Spatial website. Educators can visit the QSIC Education page to get started with spatial tools in the classroom. For career information go to Destination Spatial for the Geospatial Science career resources. Teachers can find more resources at the Spatial Education page on the Queensland Government website.