Application of (GIS) : Nepalese Context

Pratap Sapkota (010-1020)

1. Introduction of GIS
A geographic information system (GIS) or geospatial information system is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data. In the simplest terms, GIS is the merging of cartography, statistical analysis, and database technology. GIS is a system that digitally creates and manipulates spatial areas that may be jurisdictional, purpose or application-oriented for which a specific GIS is developed. Hence, a GIS developed for an application, jurisdiction, enterprise or purpose may not be necessarily compatible with a GIS that has been developed for some other application, jurisdiction, enterprise, or purpose. What goes beyond GIS is a spatial data infrastructure (SDI), a concept that has no such restrictive boundaries.i

2. History of GIS in Nepal (Please suggest)

3. Scope of GIS application Development Planning and Natural Resource Management

Development planning for any definite sector typically follows a set of distinct phases such as situation analysis (SWOT) facing the area; prioritizing key issues, problems or outcomes; developing objectives; developing plans to address the objectives, including strategies, activities and projects; developing a spatial picture of the situation as well as plans and developing budgets to achieve the plans. Natural Resource Management refers to the management of natural resources such as land, water, soil, plants and animals, with a particular focus on how management affects the quality of life for both present and future generations.ii

Using GIS, available natural resources can be efficiently managed, as poor resource management is a major cause of undeveloped Nepal. By effective use of resources, we can conserve them for future generations. Some examples of projects where GIS tools can be used are: Forest, Wildlife & Wetland conservation Agricultural Management Rural & Urban Development Mapping etc.

GIS may be used as a beneficial tool for proper urban development as we dont have rationally developed urban area yet. Services in the urban areas as transportation, communication, water supply and sanitation etc. can be well planned by the use of GIS tools and available resources may be optimum utilized. In case of rural areas, there are lots of problems in basic facilities because of mountainous / steep terrain, undulated topography and remotely located villages. Again, in a small village, the houses are widely spread over the area. For proper development of rural areas, many of the villages should be relocated and centralized at some extent where physical facilities can be provided adequately which would enhance better standard of living of people in rural Nepal.

Transportation
Transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations. Transport is important since it enables trade between peoples, which in turn establishes civilizations.iii As we are having wide range of problems in transportation sector such as narrow roads and lots of vehicles passing there causing congestion; overcrowded / haphazardly grown areas; improper road intersections etc., strategic change is required to our transportation system. We dont have proper database of our roads, proper study techniques and proper funding mechanism in research and development, so our planning part is lagging behind. The above problems can be well tackled by effective use of GIS. Again, GIS may be used as a tool for strategic development of Highways and other road networks as locations, resources and public requirements can be easily represented in databases.

 Environmental Impact
Environmental management is the management of interaction by modern human societies with, and impact upon the environment. It involves the management of all components of the biophysical environment, both living and non-living. It also involves the relationships of human environment, such as social, cultural and economic environment with biophysical environment.iv We are having many problems such as deforestation; air, sound & water pollution; and definitely global climate change. Although, we are struggling to preserve our environment from human encroachment, due to high carbon emission from the developed countries, our Himalayas are endangered. To tackle with such national environment phenomena, GIS may prove as a boon because we have to study the environmental impacts due to different natural and artificial changes in the environment in wide range. The use of GIS application is very beneficial to understand the global climate change & its effects in national and global environment and helpful to make strategic plans to tackle such problems, as wide area of database based research and study is required.

Population and Demographic Study

Demographics are the statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology (and especially in subfield of demography), public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, age, disabilities, mobility, home-ownership; employment status, and even location. Demographic trends describe the changes in demographics in a population over time. Both distributions and trends of values within a demographic variable are of importance.v Demographic study is very important to determine different characteristics of people in the area such as literacy, age-wise population, ethnicity, child mortality, land holdings, food sufficiency, joblessness etc. The rational study of these factors lead us to properly plan the most required project for overall development. Different types of statistical analysis methods are used in the study. GIS, being a database based application, can be widely used in population and demographic study for project planning, implementation and monitoring for overall development of our country.

4. Application of GIS: Worldwide context

1. Scientific investigations 2. Reference and projections 3. Asset management and planning 4. Archaeology 5. Infrastructure assessment and development 6. Cartography 7. Criminology 8. Geospatial intelligence 9. GIS data development 10. Geographic history 11. Marketing 12. Prospectivity mapping 13. Statistical analysis 14. Environmental Contamination 15. Disease surveillance 16. Military planning

Source: www.en.wikipedia.org Source: www.en.wikipedia.org Source: www.en.wikipedia.org Source: www.en.wikipedia.org Source: www.en.wikipedia.org

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