GIS - Part I

GIS stands for “Geographical Information System” The term GIS has number of definitions. But We can easily understand that It is simply “Location” or Location based technology

Still there are number of definitions have defined that is

“GIS is a method of using computer systems to collect, organize, manipulate and display geographic data to answer questions about the world. It is a system designed to combine many different types of geographic features and analyze the relationships between them in a single framework. “

Maps have been used for thousands of years, but it is only within the last few decades that the technology has existed to combine maps with computer graphics and databases to create geographic information systems or GIS. The themes in the above graphic are only a small example of the wide array of information that can view or analyze with a GIS.

GIS is used to display and analyze spatial data which are tied to databases. This connection is what gives GIS its power: maps can be drawn from the database and data can be referenced from the maps. When a database is updated, the associated map can be updated as well. GIS databases include a wide variety of information including: geographic, social, political, environmental, and demographic.

It is estimated that approximately 80% of all information has a "spatial" or geographic component. In other words, most information is tied to a place. So when making decisions about siting new facilities, creating hiking trails, protecting wetlands, directing emergency response vehicles, designating historic neighborhoods or redrawing legislative districts, geography plays a significant role.
This is where GIS comes in. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology is a computer-based data collection, storage, and analysis tool that combines previously unrelated information into easily understood maps. But GIS is much more than maps. A GIS can perform complicated analytical functions and then present the results visually as maps, tables or graphs, allowing decision-makers to virtually see the issues before them and then select the best course of action.
Add the Internet, and GIS offers a consistent and cost-effective means for the sharing and analysis of geographic data among government agencies, private industry, non-profit organizations, and the general public.

GIS is a program that allows for the easy use and understanding of geographical information, enabling the user to view and interpret a wide range and depth of data spatially while revealing important patterns and relationships. GIS is a useful tool for examining a wide variety of issues, including city planning, transportation, human health, environmental management and conservation, and cultural resources preservation.

The above screen shows representation of real world in GIS

continues …... Part -II