There are many research titles which clubs Remote Sensing (RS) with GIS, as if both are deterministic tools. For example the titles are like:
1. Demarcation of landslide prone zones through RS & GIS
2. Identification of groundwater potential zones using RS & GIS
3. Identification of suitable sites for check dams using RS & GIS.
According to me RS is a technique used to study the earths features through information gathered from space crafts. Many information can be deciphered from the satellite images through digital or visual interpretation. But this is not the case with GIS. It is more or less a mapping soft ware, which produces various types of spatial information maps based on the input data (primary or secondary).
Hence, in your opinion giving so much of stress to GIS along with RS is correct??
RS and GIS share the comprehensive 2-D spatial raster perspective of (bio)geographic objects. Both can be easily up- and down-scaled (raster size). The difference at this level is that GIS has also a vector mode, essential in all human endeavors with property and admin boundaries.
Both have a very different history. RS is a military technology with civilian spin-off; its predecessor is aerial photography (in vector format), GIS has been conceived from an environmental and Land Use Zoning perspective.The user community of GIS is and has been always been much larger than the RS community. Most territorial administrations, from cities to countries across the globe use GIS systematically and daily, only a minority RS.
RS may offer an input, an environmental data layer, in a GIS and Geo-database (see my publications of a range of examples; keywords bear, endemics, gorilla). For some applications and studies RS is the essential data input (keywords: forest cover change). RS needs at least a topographic layer to make useful statements.
Dear Dr. Hein,
Thank you very much for your educative and informative response. But I am still not clear whether I can consider GIS as a deterministic or investigative tool, like that of RS?! Whether the potential of GIS is over claimed while clubbing with RS? Just recently an article has been added in the Research Gate entitled "Comparative morphometric analysis of three watersheds …using Remote sensing and GIS techniques". This is what I want clarification on calling GIS as a "technique" at par with RS.
"1. Demarcation of landslide prone zones through RS & GIS"
RS - it is different methods to obtain image of geospatial state using infrared, RGB, hyperspectral camera, LiDAR scanners, sonar device, IfSAR etc.
GISystem - traditionally it is software under word meaning - software, which provides different algorithms / methods / techniques to process geospatial information (including images).
Therefore, "RS & GIS" means how these tools can be applied to solve some problem summarizing different possible solutions. Associating RS & GIS with research life cycle stages, RS - data collecting, GIS - image processing and datamining.
About, "GISystem techniques", if we replace word "system" with some other specific system, for example, "calculator techniques" or "printer techniques" - is it correct? Or it is more correct to say "calculating techniques" and "printing techniques"? To sum up, "RS and GIS techniques" is not so correct - better to say "RSensing and image processing techniques" (in both cases post-fix "-ing" shows into process).
Dear Dr. Kodors,
Thank you for your efforts to explain and clarify on RS & GIS. I too feel that it sounds more meaningful to say "RS and Image Processing Techniques" instead of " RS & GIS".
I hope the answers of Dr. Hein and yours will help many young researches in this field.
Yes! they can club. Generally, Remote sensing provides data for the study and GIS is a tool to use that data for analysis to draw information and conclusions. Image processing techniques have wider scope, where remote sensing image processing is a subset of that applications. If you think RS and Image processing techniques as suitable word as a substitute for RS and GIS, in my opinion it is not precise. Most of common GIS tool are basic image processing algorithms. There is no clear cut boundary exist between GIS and RS. If the image processing techniques used to process any data belongs to earth they can be grouped under GIS, since the aim of the study is to draw information about earth by using image processing algorithms.
There are so many soft wares like Modflow; RESIST; SURFER; etc., used to analyse data and to come out with solutions/conclusions, but they are not called "Technique"; why only GIS??
If you are refereeing the following software
https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/modflow/
https://www.nicee.org/npeee/showpage.php?id=149
http://www.goldensoftware.com/products/surfer
these are GIS software without any doubt.
As I understood, you were confused because of true literal translation words.
Now, GIS is evolved from a system to science. Most of the researchers now a days prefer to use the word Geographic information science instead of geographic information system.
Regards
Dear Mr. Prasad,
GIS is mostly used as a tool for extracting RS data for studying specific aspects. And it can be used for develop modeling and perform various analysis using the RS data (like DEM).
It also depends on the GIS software you use.
Hope it helps.
With regards,
Harisankar
Thesis Ecologically Compatible Land Use Planning of Eco-Sensitive Z...
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