A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer system that captures, stores, analyzes, and displays data related to positions on Earth’s surface . GIS can be used to map and examine changes on Earth, and it can show many different kinds of data on one map, such as streets, buildings, and vegetation . This enables people to more easily see, analyze, and understand patterns and relationships . GIS technology is a crucial part of spatial data infrastructure, which the White House defines as “the technology, policies, standards, human resources, and related activities necessary to acquire, process, distribute, use, maintain, and preserve spatial data” .
GIS can use any information that includes location. The location can be expressed in many different ways, such as latitude and longitude, address, or ZIP code . Many different types of information can be compared and contrasted using GIS. The system can include data about people, such as population, income, or education level. It can include information about the landscape, such as the location of streams, different kinds of vegetation, and different kinds of soil. It can include information about the sites of factories, farms, and schools, or storm drains, roads, and electric power lines . With GIS technology, people can compare the locations of different things in order to discover how they relate to each other .
GIS applications include both hardware and software systems. These applications may include cartographic data, photographic data, digital data, or data in spreadsheets . Cartographic data are already in map form, and may include such information as the location of rivers, roads, hills, and valleys . Cartographic data may also include survey data and mapping information that can be directly entered into a GIS . Photographic interpretation is a major part of GIS. Photo interpretation involves analyzing aerial photographs and assessing the features that appear .
In summary, GIS is a powerful tool that allows people to analyze and understand spatial patterns and relationships. It can be used to map and examine changes on Earth, and it can show many different kinds of data on one map. GIS technology is a crucial part of spatial data infrastructure, which is necessary to acquire, process, distribute, use, maintain, and
