Spatial Data Characteristics

The use of GIS technology in engineering, in general, and in hydrology, in particular, has become feasible due primarily to the possibility of handling and integrating enormous amounts of geographic data efficiently. As shown in Figure 4.1, a GIS can be thought of as a powerful tool capable of creating and manipulating maps, with the necessary links to retrieve, manipulate, and update data from a database. Both maps and attribute data constitute abstractions or simplifications of the real world.