ABSTRACT
Physical or hard copies of photographs, maps or other imagery can be converted into digital, spatial data, through a process known as digitization. The digitization process has traditionally required a manual procedure, which could also introduce several areas associated with the data import process and the creation of the database topology. Modern GIS and image processing software packages now allow for a “heads-up” digitization method that allows for minimization of digitization errors, as well as semi-automated feature extraction techniques compared to traditional digitizing techniques. This exercise will explore traditional digitizing methods for creating polygons and polylines. Also, this exercise will explore a semi-automated approach useful for reducing mouse clicks and achieving similar or better digitizing results than classical methods.
