Question 2: How do we create geographic information?
Essentially, geographic information states what is where. So to create geographic information, we have to record these two elements somehow. They can be captured through many different types of observations, measurements and surveys. Data can be sourced from aerial photography, satellite images, field samples, land surveying, population censuses, global positioning systems (GPS) and government administrative records among others.
Geographic information can be captured and represented in a simple table format
that textually lists features and where they are. The most common method is
to illustrate the location or distribution of a feature in relation to a study
area visually on a paper map. This is probably the format you are most familiar
with in the classroom and every day life.
The table on the left lists the number of households owning a car by postcode. The same information is represented on a map on the right. Both are geographic information. In this case, the postcode is the location.