Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an intelligent map which is a vector or raster produced graphical map which contains polygons, usually parcels which are linked to an intelligent relational database.
Geographical Information Systems are of considerable use to many people and organizations; and may well be of use to you. But it must be remembered that GIS is itself only a set of tools to be applied by people and it is people who solve problems. So what is important to understand is how you will solve your organization’s problems with its help.
A Geographical Information System is a software application that is designed to provide the tools to manipulate and display spatial data. It is effectively a way of computerizing maps. It goes further than that by being able to accept, organize, statistically analyse and display diverse types of spatial data that are digitally referenced to a common co-ordinate system. Each set of data is grouped together in an overlay and new data sets can be produced by combining a number of overlays.
GIS is hard to define precisely as it may be seen as operating at a number of levels, and will mean different things to different people. To some, GIS is a set of software tools that is used to input, store, manipulate, analyse and display geographical information.
To others, GIS may be a philosophy, a way of making decisions within an organization where all information is held centrally and is related by its location. This is a more strategic definition. A successful GIS may not be an off-the-shelf solution to your problems and will require considerable thought for a successful implementation.
A GIS is a system of three interconnected components, each equally important and necessary to its success. These components are spatial data, software/hardware tools, and a specific problem or objective
For more information on GIS and its applications, please contact us.