Quantitative versus Qualitative Geospatial Data in Spatial Modelling and Decision Making

Ko Ko Lwin, Yuji Murayama, Chiaki Mizutani

Division of Spatial Information Science, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba.

DOI: 10.4236/jgis.2012.43028                

Abstract

In general, geospatial data can be divided into two formats, raster and vector formats. A raster consists of a matrix of cells where each cell contains a value representing quantitative information, such as temperature, vegetation intensity, land use/cover, elevation, etc. A vector data consists of points, lines and polygons representing location or distance or area of landscape features in graphical forms. Many raster data are derived from remote sensing techniques using sophisticated sensors by quantitative approach and many vector data are generated from GIS processes by qualitative approach. Among them, land use/cover data is frequently used in many GIS analyses and spatial modeling processes. However, proper use of quantitative and qualitative geospatial data is important in spatial modeling and decision making. In this article, we discuss common geospatial data formats, their origins and proper use in spatial modelling and decision making processes.

Keywords

Quantitative and Qualitative Geospatial Data; Spatial Modelling and Decision Making

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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