An Overview of GIS/GPS Integration

Michael F. Goodchild

Abstract:	The integration of GIS and GPS, two distinct technologies with their own conventions and assumptions, raises many problems, some technical and some institutional. This paper focuses on a sample of the more significant issues, from the perspective of GE. On the technical side, perhaps the most problematic issue is accuracy, as GPS is increasingly used to enhance the positional accuracy of GIS databases. The potentially high absolute positional accuracy of GPS may have unfortunate consequences when merged with GIS data that may have low absolute, but high relative positional accuracy. The solution lies in greater concern in GIS databases for data lineage, and the emergence of measurement-based systems that keep explicit track of the measurements on which each position is based, and on hierarchical linkages between objects. A second area is data modeling. Although GPS is a powerful technology for positioning well-defined objects, much GIS data concerns poorly defined or fuzzy objects for which the use of GPS may be problematic. The paper includes a review of current work in the research community that is likely to influence GIS/GPS integration in the next decade.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 6th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1993) September 22 - 24, 1993 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	79 - 83
Cite this article:	Goodchild, Michael F., "An Overview of GIS/GPS Integration," Proceedings of the 6th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1993), Salt Lake City, UT, September 1993, pp. 79-83.
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