Introduction to Geographic Information Systems

A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer system for storing, managing, analyzing, and displaying geospatial data. Since the 1970s GIS has been important for professionals in natural resource management, land use planning, natural hazards, transportation, health care, public services, market area analysis, and urban planning. It has also become a necessary tool for government agencies of all levels for routine operations. The more recent integration of GIS with the Internet, a global positioning system (GPS), wireless technology, and Web service has found applications in location-based services, Web mapping, in-vehicle navigation systems, collaborative Web mapping, and volunteered geographic information. It is, therefore, no surprise that geospatial technology was chosen by the U.S. Department of Labor as a high-growth industry. Geospatial technology centers on GIS and uses GIS to integrate data from remote sensing, GPS, cartography, and surveying to produce useful geographic information.