In today's automated society, protocol requires that all resource-based businesses acquire the right techniques and tools to retain or gain the competitive edge. One such tool is the acquisition and utilization of a Geographic Information System (GIS). Although the implementation of such a system will enhance a company's overall operation, the problem exists in obtaining the correct base material or database relating to the company's overall operation. This paper deals primarily with the procedure that incorporates vectors extracted from digital LANDSAT imagery into a GIS environment. Unlike conventional methods of data capture, such as digitizing from pre-existing maps and charts, LANDSAT data offers the alternative of processing data that is original 11 in digital form. What is unique about this methodology is that it eliminates most of the human error associated with conventional data capture techniques in a timely manner. The result is information, in vector form, that is consistent and compatible to existing or newly developed GIS systems.
The primary focus of man's involvement with space has related either directly or indirectly to the Earth.
The complex relationship that we are developing between the Earth and space ranges from short distance stratospheric studies to the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI). One facet of this involvement is the Landsat resource technology satellite program which is constantly scanning the Earth allowing the monitoring of man and his environment. The key words here are resource technology. Today's highly competitive resource based industries require vast quantities of information in order to permit them to make critical decisions when analyzing the potential of the Earth. The shear volume of this information has dictated that some means of organizing, categorizing and displaying this material is essential. This is the focus of a Geographical Information System (GIS).
Landsat satellites have the ability to rapidly scan the Earth and transmit the resultant images to surface receiving stations. These images have been available for quite some time, however, only recent developments in electronic data processing has allowed the detailed analysis that is required to make satellite mapping a viable proposition. This association between LANDSAT digital imagery, CIS development and advances in data processing technology is dramatically changing the discipline of cartography.
Since the dawn of human civilization, an has depicted his cultural activity by the utilization of maps. In today's world, the map carries out a number of significant and specific functions, for example, In the field of geophysics, placement of seismic shot points to gather data about subsurface geology for mineral or petroleum extraction is critical. However, mapping by conventional methods is restricted by the size and scale by which it allows the data to be represented. The inaccuracies inherent in manual mapping of geographic data emphasize the benefits of a computer based mapping system.
