Chapter 11. Creating and Maintaining Geographic Databases

1. A database is an integrated set of data on a particular subject.  What are some of the advantages of the database over file-based datasets?
2. What are some of the capabilities of a DBMS?
3. What is an RDBMS?
4. What is an ORDBMS?
5. What qualities does the ideal ORDBMS have?
6. How can a GIS such as ArcInfo and an ORDBMS such as Oracle Spatial Options work together?
7. What distinguishes geographic database tables from non-geographic tables?
8. What are keys?
9. What is a join?
10. Why are the data shown in Table 11.2 more efficiently organized than the data shown in Table 11.3?
11. What is SQL?
12. What are SQL DDL statements?
13. What are SQL DML statements?
14. There are nine methods for testing spatial relations between geometric objects.  Explain three.
15. There are seven methods that support spatial analysis on geometric object types.  Explain three.
16. Explain the six practical steps to database design.
17. Geographic databases must be structured and organized to facilitate query, analysis, and mapping.  One technique of structuring is building topology, which we have already discussed.  Another is indexing.  What is indexing and what purpose does it serve?
18. What are the three main geographic indexing techniques?  Explain the concept behind each.
19. What is an MBR and how can it be used to generalize a geographic dataset?
20. What is the difference between simple and COGO editing tools?
21. Give an example of one type of point COGO tool.
22. When giving multiple users concurrent read and query access to geographic databases it is important to avoid conflicts and potential database corruption.  Transactions, or changes in the database, are either completely committed or not committed at all.  When two people are trying to edit a database at the same time, the second is locked out.  Versioning is another strategy.  Explain.