Data Science for Geographic Information Systems
Afonso Oliveira Nuno Fachada João P. Matos-Carvalho
The integration of data science into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has
facilitated the evolution of these tools into complete spatial analysis
platforms. The adoption of machine learning and big data techniques has
equipped these platforms with the capacity to handle larger amounts of
increasingly complex data, transcending the limitations of more traditional
approaches. This work traces the historical and technical evolution of data
science and GIS as fields of study, highlighting the critical points of
convergence between domains, and underlining the many sectors that rely on this
integration. A GIS application is presented as a case study in the disaster
management sector where we utilize aerial data from Tr\'oia, Portugal, to
emphasize the process of insight extraction from raw data. We conclude by
outlining prospects for future research in integration of these fields in
general, and the developed application in particular.