Geographic information system

Geographic Information System (often abbreviated as GIS) is a framework designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data. The key word to this technology is Geography - this means that some portion of the data is spatial. In other words, data that is in some way referenced to locations on the earth.

Overview[edit | edit source]

A Geographic Information System integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.

Components[edit | edit source]

A GIS system is made up of several key components:

Hardware: The physical equipment involved in a GIS ranging from the computer system to the hard copy devices and global positioning system (GPS) receivers.
Software: The programs and applications that process data. GIS software provides the functions and tools needed to store, analyze, and display geographic information.
Data: Perhaps the most important component of a GIS. Data can be spatial, linking geographic locations with attributes, or non-spatial, with descriptive attributes only.
People: GIS technology is only as good as the people running it. They need to know how to use and interact with the GIS technology to accurately model and analyze spatial information.
Methods: A set of procedures and techniques for performing GIS analysis on spatial data and metadata.

Applications[edit | edit source]

GIS has a wide range of applications in various fields including:

Healthcare: In public health, GIS can be used to track spread of diseases and plan intervention strategies.
Urban Planning: GIS can be used in urban planning to understand growth patterns, plan public transportation and understand demographic changes.
Environmental Impact Analysis: GIS can be used to understand the environmental impact of certain decisions such as construction, deforestation etc.

See Also[edit | edit source]

Geographic information system Resources
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