scale

Spatial Analysis

An example of the coastline paradox. If the coastline of Great Britain is measured using units 100 km (62 mi) long, then the length of the coastline is approximately 2,800 km (1,700 mi). With 50 km (31 mi) units, the total length is approximately 3,400 km (2,100 mi), approximately 600 km (370 mi) longer.

GIS Data and the Coastline Paradox

October 30, 2014By Joe AkintolaSpatial Analysis

Imagine that you’re taking a GIS class and your instructor tasks everyone with coming up with the answer to, “what is the length of the coastline of Maine?” Everyone downloads a different GIS data set to calculate the length and everyone comes back with a completely different answer to that […]

Understanding Scale

September 1, 2011By Caitlin DempseyGIS Data

Scale is the relationship that the depicted feature on map has to its actual size in the real word (more: map scale). All maps are modeled representations of the real world and therefore the features are reduced in size when mapped. In other words, scale is the measurement of the […]

Mapping Where Norway is Moving

Norway is using Copernicus Sentinel-1 data to detect ground movement across the country.

How To Use the Equal Earth Projection With QGIS on the Mac

If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the ability to try out the Equal Earth map projection in QGIS, here are a couple of quick steps to set up this new map projection.

Elements of a Map

Maps are the primary tools by which spatial relationships are visualized. Maps therefore become important documents. There are several key elements that should be included each time a map is created in order to aid the viewer in understanding the communications of that map and to document the source of […]

Learn GIS for Free

There are a few online options to learn GIS for free. Take advantage of resources that provide you access to free courses from some of the world’s best universities and institutions.