The central function of a geographic information system is to provide a visual representation of data. It is estimated that 80% of the data we consider has a geospatial element of some form. GIS provides a means for that data to be stored in a database and then represented visually in a mapped format.
Uses
There are numerous ways in which GIS technology can be used. The most common ones are:
- Management of resources
- Investigations of the earth’s surface that is scientific in nature
- Archeological uses
- Planning of locations and management of assets
- Urban & regional planning
- Criminology matters
- An Impact assessment of the environment
- The assessment and eventual development of infrastructure
- Studies of the demographics of an area plus its population
- Analysis with regards to engineering
Some of the common instances where you will find the GIS in use include:
- Emergency response teams normally use GIS when they want to collect logistics with regards to how they will move in times of natural disasters.
- The system also comes in handy when authorities want to discover any potential wetlands that need to be protected from the harmful effects brought about by pollution.
- Companies also take advantage of the GIS so that they may be able to choose a strategic market location that has not yet been saturated by other competitors in the particular niche industry.
- Management personnel use this system also so that they can be able to locate areas that are bound to suffer from catastrophes with regards to the infrastructure that is in place there.
- Any potential spread of diseases & other such like pandemic are usually limited by the use of the GIS since the patterns of their occurrence is predicted in sufficient time.
Google GIS
The interactive maps you view on a phone or the Internet use GIS technology. Using Google Maps, people can add traffic information to road maps or view satellite images of their town or neighborhood.