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Mathematical Foundations of GIS

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of GIS

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Definition

  • Geodesy is the branch of mathematics concerned with the shape and area of the earth and with the location of points on it.

  • Cartography is the art, science, and practice of making maps.

  • A map projection, or simply a projection, is any systematic representation of the earth’s surface onto another surface.

  • The Global Positioning System, or GPS, comprises a network of satellites that orbit the earth and, by radio communications with land-based receivers, enable the accurate determination of the coordinates of points on the earth’s surface.

  • Spherical geometry is the study of lines, angles, and areas on a spherical surface.

Historical Background

The foundation of geographical information science (GIS) lies in our ability to determine the size and shape of the earth, locate points on its surface, measure its features, and to portray the earth in maps. Thus, geodesy and cartography form the basis of GIS. In turn, both of these subjects are built on strong mathematical foundations.

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Recommended Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematical Sciences, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, USA

    Timothy G. Feeman

Authors
  1. Timothy G. Feeman
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Shashi Shekhar

  2. Management Science and Information Systems Department, Rutgers Business School, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA

    Hui Xiong

  3. Department of Management Sciences, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Xun Zhou

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Feeman, T.G. (2017). Mathematical Foundations of GIS. In: Shekhar, S., Xiong, H., Zhou, X. (eds) Encyclopedia of GIS. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17885-1_761

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