What is GIS?
A GIS or Geographical Information System is a computer-based system for capturing, storing, analyzing, managing and presenting data that is spatially referenced. Popular GIS software includes Esri and Mapinfo applications. An example of a GIS in use is a car navigation system. The spatial data includes the roads and cadastre, represented in the form of lines and the attribute data includes the road names, road classes, addresses etc. A form of analyzing this data would be locating a destination and finding the quickest route there.
Common Applications of GIS
GIS can be used in scientific investigations, resource management, asset management, environmental impact assessment, urban planning, cartography, criminology, history, sales, marketing, disaster management, and logistics. In regards to disaster management such as a forest fire, using a GIS the user can locate the likely hazard areas with the use of aerial photography and spatial data. In business, a GIS can be used to locate the most economically viable location to set up a business. The analysis would take into account the pedestrian or traffic flow, the rent, the property size, the accessibility etc. of a property. It would then select the most profitable locations.
Consumers are able to enjoy the benefits of a GIS through mobile devices such as mobile phones, laptops and PDAs that have GPS capability. This kind of technology is known as Location Based Services or LBS. An example of an LBS allows the user to locate the nearest bank, store or the whereabouts of a friend. It can also give the user turn-by-turn directions to the desired destination. Not only can locations be found but additional information about a location can be viewed. This may include the opening hours, pictures of the store or if its a restaurant, even the daily special. LBS have also opened the door for real world games such as Pacman where players use their mobile devices to track down each other.
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