Cavanaugh, Kenneth J. Jr.2014-03-142014-03-141994-09-09etd-03302010-020429http://hdl.handle.net/10919/41851A geographic information system, GIS, is a computerized mapping system which assists in organizing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data sets. Over the last decade, many local and state agencies as well as many commercial organizations have implemented numerous GIS applications to raise their staffs’ productivity when working with spatial data. AGIS provides organizations the ability to consolidate data from numerous hardcopy maps into a single spatial database which may be accessed by different internal organizations for data analysis and output. A local government may use a GIS to manage tax parcels and urban development, to identify areas with reoccurring criminal activities, or to track the location of assets such as manholes, water and sewer lines, and roads. In a majority of existing GISs, system operators, or analysts, identify the locations of individual map features by overlaying these features against a base map. The base map may be a raster image such as a scanned paper map or an overhead photo, or may be set of vector layers which consist of digitized roads and buildings from scanned maps or overhead photographs. For local governments, the extent of their area of interest is small in contrast to the extent of the Earth. With small areas of extent, local governments can dedicate a majority of their GIS development budget to digitize accurate base maps. For organizations interested in tracking features across the Earth, the costs of digitizing features with a similar degree of accuracy is prohibitive. Based on the availability of base map data sources and the operational requirements, system designers of a global GIS must select the best spatial format (raster or vector) in which to represent and store spatial base map data. The selection of the format for the base maps should take into account the effects that the format will have on the hardware configuration, the display and network performance, and the maintenance and operational costs. This project presents the conceptual and preliminary designs for a global geographic information system utilizing the systems engineering approach. The system addresses the need to reduce the time analysts require to complete an analysis task by reducing the time analysts spend researching, collecting, and assembling spatial data and by enhancing their ability to enter and analyze spatial data sets. The system provides for a consolidated spatial database based upon a standard set of base maps. The design focuses on the implementation of the base map database which will contain map sets at various map scales. The project evaluates the financial and performance costs associated with implementing these map sets as either a raster or a vector base map database. Based on the operational requirements for a petroleum consortium, recommendations are made to utilize an existing commercial vector product for the 1:1000000 scale base maps and to create a raster map library for the 1:250000 and 1:50000 scale base maps. A preliminary hardware configuration is presented which reflects configuration recommendations for utilizing a raster base map database.viii, 131 leavesBTDapplication/pdfenIn CopyrightLD5655.V851 1994.C383Geographic information systems -- DesignMaster's projecthttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-03302010-020429/