The objective of the present Geographic Information System (GIS) in the Strategic Planning Unit (SPU) is to place all the Higher Education institutions in Egypt on GIS maps and thus link them to the attributed data in order to facilitate the process of strategic planning in supporting decision makers and all beneficiaries of the educational process in Egypt.
In order to understand and use GIS, there has to be knowledge of the system’s spatial and attributed data. Spatial data include information about the location and geographic features and are usually stored as two particular types. These data could also include interactions among these features; for instance, a relationship of communication and proximity. As for the attributed data, these are the characteristics or descriptions assigned to these features and are usually stored in separate tables.
Information in GIS can thus be categorized as:
Attributed Data
Spatial Data
1) Attributed Data:
Attributed data express facts and characteristics and are usually connected to the spatial data. They have been defined as tabulated and verbal data that pertain to geographic characteristics; such as the name of a street, a faculty and the number of students. One of the main advantages of the system is the integration between attributed and spatial data.
2) Spatial Data:
Spatial data explain the location or place and are usually assigned to a position within a spatial or geographic frame of reference. They are connected to geographic coordinates and include all natural and industrial characteristics in a certain area; these include: city borders, buildings, or waterways.
These data are represented in various types; for instance, as vector graphics, or as raster graphics; and these can be obtained from numerous sources, such as maps, aerial photos, satellite images, and spatial devices, such as Global Positioning Devices (GPS) and Total Stations (TS).
Following are two examples:
Locations of educational institutions: the locations of 600 educational institutions, throughout the whole country, have been surveyed and worked onto maps :
Public Universities.
Private Universities.
Faculties.
Institutes.
Location of the Faculty of Science, Cairo University
Location of the Faculty of Social Service, Helwan University
Location of the Egyptian Russian University
(2)Locations of training and research centers: the locations of 81 research centers and 73 training centers have been surveyed throughout the country. The following example shows the National Research Center in Cairo Governorate, along with the entered attributed data of the Center.
