GIS News

GIS News

GIS SERVES MANY BRANCHES OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

Any time a map is required, chances are good that a geographic information system (GIS) was involved. Used primarily at one time by mapmakers, scientists and researchers, advances in GIS technology have allowed it to be used in virtually every area of our lives. A GIS model takes information that users deem necessary for their project purposes and compiles it, using a set of parameters the users have chosen. The GIS takes the information it receives, analyzes it and breaks it down into smaller bits according to location. Those smaller bits can be assembled into a larger whole to predict such things as the spread of an epidemic.

Data can be arranged by phone number, zip code and other means established by the user. GIS unites databases with cartography, then analyses the information, which can be displayed in map format of smaller locations or as a worldview. GIS can be used for a variety of mapping requirements in different disciplines. Developer can utilize the information for feasibility studies, the impact a housing project will have on a wetlands area, or even where to place a fire hydrant in a city development project. Some uses, such as fire hydrant placement, may seem simple, but not to the people who may have to rely on that fire hydrant in the future.

Surveyors have been combining information from global positioning satellites (GPS) with GIS for more accurate land divisions. Many online mapping systems, such as Google Maps, employ a type of GIS. GIS can help scientists ascertain the extent of global warming and the areas that will be most affected, combining them with satellite or aerial data. They can then extrapolate the results of an increase in global temperatures, excessive rainfall or the lack of it, as well as drought conditions and rising ocean levels.

Archaeologists make use of GIS models to learn w hat conditions were millions of years ago, and help determine where landmasses and oceans were located by building a map of the different layers of earth. Using that information can lead them to promising expedition areas.