GIS – Geographic Information System

(also known as Geographical Information System or Geospatial Information System)

A GIS is a system for capturing, storing, analyzing, managing and presenting data and associated attributes which are spatially referenced to Earth. In the strictest sense, it is any information system capable of integrating, storing, editing, analyzing, sharing, and displaying geographically referenced information.

A GIS expands the potential use of the classical map. In addition to the visualization it plays an important role for the analysis of spatial information.

The structure of a GIS

As you can see here, the objects are conducted in thematic maps (layers).
These thematic maps you can imagine as slides, depending on the
topic either roads or water.

Through camps of the various films on the screen you can find links.

Our environment consists of a lot of different objects. Lets look for example at a tree:

Characteristics of a tree can be:

- Its species

- Its age

- Its rate of injury

In addition, this tree has a position in terms of coordinates.
While the situation generally is viewed as geometry, the aforementioned properties were factual information.

To conduct these objects the geographic information system uses two
different types of data:

Raster data and vector data.

The use of a GIS

Geographic information system technology can be used for:

- scientific investigations

- resource management

- asset management

- environmental impact assessment

- urban planning

- Cartography

- criminology

- history

- sales

- marketing

- logistics

For example, GIS might allow emergency planners to easily calculate emergency response times in the event of a natural disaster, it might be used to find wetlands that need protection from pollution or it can be used by a company to site a new business location to take advantage of a previously underserved market.