GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

(GIS)
Definition:

A Geographic Information System, or GIS, integrates data, hardware, software and GPS to assist
in the analysis and display of geographically referenced information.

GIS is a general term that refers to any scientific effort to integrate data to help researchers
visualize, analyze, and explore geographically referenced information. For example, GIS is
helping researchers measure the speed of glacier melting in Greenland and Antarctica. GIS can
assist in the analysis of small-scale and localized data, as well, such as development trends, or
watershed analysis.

The field of GIS has advanced rapidly in recent years, with the availability of rapidly increasing
computer power, development of software, and proliferation of inexpensive GPS devices.

GIS is frequently used to create maps that illustrate hidden data. For examples, visit
Geodata.gov.

GIS
An Overview of Geographic Information Systems
The acronym GIS refers to Geographic Information Systems - a tool that allows geographers and
analysts to visualize data in several different ways in order to see patterns and relationships in a
given area or subject. These patterns generally appear on maps but they can also be found on
globes or in reports and charts.

The first truly operational GIS appeared in Ottawa, Ontario in 1962 and was developed by Roger
Tomlinson of Canada's Department of Forestry and Rural Development in an effort to use map
overlays for analysis of various areas in Canada. This early version was called CGIS.

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The more modern version of GIS used today emerged in the 1980s when ESRI (Environmental
Systems Research Institute) and CARIS (Computer Aided Resource Information System) created
a commercial version of the software that incorporated the methods of CGIS, but also included
newer "second generation" techniques. Since then it has undergone a number of technological
updates, making it an efficient mapping and informational tool.

How GIS Works

GIS is important today because it is able to bring together information from multiple sources so
that various types of work can be done. In order to do this though, the data must be tied to a
specific location on the Earth's surface. Latitude and longitude are usually used for this and the
locations to be viewed are attached to their points on the geographic grid.

In order to then do an analysis, another set of data is layered on top of the first one to show
spatial patterns and relationships. For example, elevation at specific locations can show up in the
first layer and then rates of precipitation at various places in the same area can be in the second.
Through a GIS analysis patterns about elevation and the amount of precipitation then arise.

Also important to the functionality of GIS is the use of rasters and vectors. A raster is any type of
digital image, such as an aerial photograph. The data itself however is depicted as rows and
columns of cells with each cell having a single value. This data is then transferred into GIS for
use in making maps and other projects.

A common type of raster data in GIS is called the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and is simply
a digital representation of topography or terrain.

A vector is the most common way data is shown in GIS however. In ESRI's version of GIS,
called ArcGIS, vectors are referred to as shapefiles and are made up of points, lines, and
polygons. In GIS, a point is the location of a feature on the geographic grid, such as a fire
hydrant. A line is used to show linear features like a road or river and a polygon is a two

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dimensional feature that shows an area on the earth's surface such as the property boundaries
around a university. Of the three, the points show the least amount of information and the
polygons the most.

The TIN or Triangulated Irregular Network is a common type of vector data that is capable of
showing elevation and other such values that change consistently. The values are then connected
as lines, forming an irregular network of triangles to represent the land's surface on a map.

In addition, GIS is capable of translating a raster to a vector in order to make analysis and data
processing easier. It does this by creating lines along the raster cells that have the same
classification to create the vector system of points, lines, and polygons which make up the
features shown on the map.

The Three GIS Views

In GIS, there are three different ways in which data can be viewed. The first is the database
view. This consists of the "geodatabase" otherwise known as the data storage structure for
ArcGIS. In it, data is stored in tables, is easily accessed, and is able to be managed and
manipulated to fit the terms of whatever work is being completed.

The second view is the map view and is the most familiar to many people because it is
essentially what many see in terms of GIS products. GIS is in fact a set of maps that show
features and their relationships on the earth's surface and these relationships show up most
clearly in the map view.

The final GIS view is the model view which consists of tools that are able to draw new
geographic information from existing datasets. These functions then combine the data and create
a model that can provide answers for projects.

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Uses of GIS Today
GIS has many applications in various fields today. Some of which include traditional
geographically related fields like urban planning and cartography, but also environmental impact
assessment reports and natural resource management.

In addition, GIS is now finding its place in business and related fields. Business GIS as it has
come to be known is usually the most effective in advertising and marketing, sales, and the
logistics of where to locate a business.

Whichever way it's used though, GIS has had a profound influence on geography and will
continue to be used in the future as it allows people to efficiently answer questions and solve
problems by looking at easily understood and shared data in the form of tables, charts, and most
importantly, maps.

Uses of a GIS

Here is a list of how other organizations are using GIS, and which you may be able to relate to
something which could be of benefit to your own organization:

Retail

Most new out-of-town supermarkets are sited with the aid of a sophisticated GIS. The GIS is
used to store socio-economic details of possible customers within the proposed area. A
catchment area for a store may be developed by calculating the drive-time – the time it would
take to drive to the store’s location – and by modeling the influence of competing stores. GIS is
also used for facilities management and routing of deliveries.

Utilities

The utility companies are amongst the most active GIS users; GIS is used to build asset
databases which often form a central part of their IT strategies. Vector GIS commonly dominates
in this sector, extensive use being made of modeling functions which are used to test the

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response of the network to demand fluctuations. The largest application in utilities is in the area
of Automated Mapping and Facilities Management (AM/FM). AM/FM functions are used to
manage the plant of the organization, such as the location of cables, valves, customer boxes etc.
This application demands up to the minute accurate large scale mapping in digital form.

Environment

As some of the earliest users of GIS, there are many mature applications within organizations
interested in environmental data. At the simplest level GIS is used as an inventory of
environmental information, for example the location and attributes of forest stands. More
complex applications use the analytical capabilities of GIS to model environmental processes
such as soil erosion, or the response of a river basin to a large rainfall event. As the data
collected often relates to areas and complex analytical functions are common, the raster data
model tends to predominate.

Local Government
Local government is one of the largest application areas for GIS, as it is one of the largest users
of spatial information. All areas of a local authority may benefit from GIS. GIS may be used in
land searches and planning control, replacing existing paper records. Local authorities may also
use GIS for property and highways maintenance. GIS may be used in command and control
centres for monitoring the emergency services.

Health care

In addition to the asset management tasks in which GIS is commonly used, the analytical
capabilities of GIS may also be used in health care applications. GIS may be used, for example,
to identify the fastest route between the current location of an ambulance and a patient, based on
a database of road conditions. GIS can also be used as an epidemiological tool to analyse the
outbreak and spread of illness and disease within the community.

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Transportation
GIS has considerable potential for applications in transportation. The planning and maintenance
of a transport infrastructure is an obvious application area, but there is now increasing interest in
innovative technology such as in-vehicle navigation, and electronic chart displays. These
typically require GIS in a support role.

Financial Services

GIS is used in the financial services sector in much the same way as in retail applications. It is
used to locate new branches of Banks and Building societies. GIS is increasingly being used as a
profiling tool for risk assessment and insurance purposes, identifying in greater detail those areas
of highest/lowest risk. This requires databases as diverse as crime patterns, geology, weather and
property values.