gis

GIS or Geographic Information System is a term which commonly refers to the combined use of a range of tools that allow one to capture, store, modify, manage, interpret and display geographically referenced information. In other words, GIS will allow for data to be identified according to location. A Geographic Information System enables the user to process data in different ways that will reflect relationships, patterns or trends under the form of maps, reports or charts based on the link between information stored in a database and spatial coordinates.

The Geographic Information System has applications in various fields of activity like scientific investigation of the surface of the Earth, road planning cartography, urban planning, resource or assets management and location planning. For example, the Health Department of a given city may use a GIS system to map hotspots and predict the spread of a disease and its impact at a given moment, based on data coming from various sources like census, urban planning, hospitals and so on. Another application for a GIS is that of a GPS vehicle tracking system that would allow for the collection and analysis of information regarding the vehicle fleet of a certain company. The information regarding the location of the vehicles obtained through GPS receiver equipment could be combined with GIS maps in order to visually represent it and extract further data as fleet usage, estimated freight times and so on.

Due to advancements in technology, modern day GIS makes use of digital information as the main way to represent data. Maps or survey plans in hard copy undergo a process called digitization through which they are converted to digital format with the help of computer aided design programs, and then geographically linked to other relevant data such as coordinates. Technologies like GPS, web based applications or high resolution imagery are currently used in order to increase the accuracy and reliability of the results.

The main advantage of a Geographic Information System, over other information systems, is that the analysis and visualization of any required information are directly linked to a relational database. Any change in the database will automatically reflect in the map, and any change in the map will in turn alter the contents of the database. Further, the technology allows the users to build and analyze new variables based on the already mapped ones and reflect them visually. The integrated aspect makes GIS a more suited tool for an informed decision making process in different fields of activity, and allows for a better approach to understanding present situation and estimating future development or setting forth strategies.

You'll find bloggers talking about GIS at sites like engineering.vanderbilt.edu and lidarbb.cr.usgs.gov.

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Latest blogosphere posts tagged “gis”

 

• Urban sprawl: metrics, dynamics and modelling using GIS

  
  Urban Research — Authority: 109
  by H.S. Sudhira , T.V. Ramachandra, and K.S.JagadishUrban sprawl refers to the extent of urbanisation, which is a global phenomenon mainly driven by population growth and large scale migration. In developing countries like India, where the population is over one billion, one-sixth of the world’s population, urban ...
  12 hours ago

• Using GIS for Optimisation in Transportation Planning

  
  Urban Research — Authority: 109
  by Günter KiechleThe use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for preparing input data for optimisation algorithms improves the practical applicability of such algorithms in the field of transportation planning. This promising combination of technologies is the subject of a collaboration between the University of ...
  12 hours ago

• Ten Cheap Products Making American Companies Billions

  
  24/7 Wall St. — Authority: 639
  Just because certain products have a low price tag does not mean they cannot sell for billions of dollars. In fact, some of the cheapest products make the most money for their companies. 24/7 Wall St. identified some of the best-selling consumer goods and food products costing under $5 and the companies that make ...
  1 day ago

• William B. Frels Fund Portfolio Q4/2011

  
  Dividend Yields — Authority: 421
  William B. Frels Fund Investing Strategies By Dividend Yield – Stock Capital, Investment. Here is a current portfolio update of William B. Frels’s - Mairs & Power Growth - portfolio movements as of Q4/2011 (December 31, 2011). In total, he held 45 stocks with a total portfolio worth of USD ...
  1 day ago

• Sahara’s End (Google / RedOrbit)

  
  Desertification — Authority: 127
  Read at : Google Alert – desertification http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112463956/earth-from-space-saharas-end/ Earth From Space: Sahara’s End Image Caption: This Envisat image, acquired on 5 December 2011 by the MERIS instrument, shows part of central Morocco from the Atlantic Ocean to the west, over … ...
  2 days ago

• Walk-in for GIS Executive (0 to 2 yrs.) on 2nd February 2012

  
  IT & Engineering Jobs in India — Authority: 420
  This job is posted by TUSHAR and available at itjobsdelhi[dot]blogspot[dot]com CE Info Systems Pvt Ltd is conducting Walk-in for GIS Executive on 2nd February 2012, 11 AM to 12:30 PM Experience: 0 to 2 yrs. No. of Opening(s): 5 Job Description: Have to work on Auto CAD or Arc GIS or Mapinfo Work on GIS ...
  3 days ago

• What Could the Davos World Economic Forum Gain From Geospatial Understanding?

  
  Vector One — Authority: 109
  In the ‘Per­spec­tives’ col­umn this week— “What Could the Davos World Economic Forum Gain From Geospatial Understanding?”   This week the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos, Switzerland. While much of the discussion is focused upon economic policy development, the technological and conceptual ...
  4 days ago

• Nibbles: AnGR genomic resources, Agroforestry fund, US climate map, Cassava rules

  
  Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog — Authority: 117
  Big new project on farm animal genomics . Gene-jockeys lick lips. Big new push to raise money for the Moringa Fund . Agroforesters lick lips. Big new hardiness zone map unleashed by USDA on unsuspecting world. American GIS people and gardeners lick lips. Bill Gates mentions cassava . CIAT licks lips.
  5 days ago

• GIS and Desertification in the Arab World (Google / IDOSI)

  
  Desertification — Authority: 127
  Read at : Google Alert – desertification http://www.idosi.org/mejsr/mejsr8(6)11/7.pdf Estimating Desertification in the Arab World Using GIS Approach Ali Mansour Ali Saad and Noresah Mohd Shariff Geography Programme, School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Malaysia Middle-East Journal ...
  1 week ago

• Professional Land Surveyor Weekly Roundup January 22, 2012

  
  Eric D. Colburn, Professional Land Surveyor — Authority: 111
  Professional Land Surveyor Weekly Roundup: AutoCAD Civil 3D Set Survey Databases Working Folder Video MicroSurvey Software Acquired by Hexagon LizardTech Releases Free GeoViewer Application for iPad Premier Conference for Surveyors, Engineers, and Mapping Professionals Returns to San Diego Sokkia CX Total Station ...
  1 week ago

• Wind Is 3D: U.S. National Wind Energy Map

  
  Vector One — Authority: 109
  The U.S. Department of Energy has published an updated national wind energy potential map. The map indicated those areas across the country that are most likely to provide suitable amounts of wind energy. It can be noted that measurements were taken vertically, thus providing an indication of wind levels above ground ...
  1 week ago

• Mapping : where is water available in dry areas ? (ICARDA)

  
  Desertification — Authority: 127
  Read at : http://icardablog.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/new-mapping-methods/ New mapping methods Wise rainwater harvesting saves crops from failure Harvest water, not just crops. New mapping methods help planners see where water is available  dry areas. The majority of the world’s farmers live in low-rainfall areas. ...
  1 week ago

• Open Spatial Connects Oracle Spatial to Cadastre Data in Australia

  
  Vector One — Authority: 109
  Open Spatial product Incremental Cadastral update Department of Lands (iCUDL) is designed to automatically connect to updated cadastral land survey data systems in Australia. “iCUDL will allow councils (and utilities) that manage their spatial data in Oracle (Locator/Spatial) to automatically schedule the ...
  1 week ago

• LizardTech Releases Free GeoViewer Application for iPad

  
  Eric D. Colburn, Professional Land Surveyor — Authority: 111
  MrSID files now viewable on mobile devices for consumers SEATTLE, Wash. – January 18, 2012 - LizardTech®, a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, announced the release of a free GeoViewer application for iPad designed to view geospatial imagery and vector overlays. The ...
  1 week ago

• Precise Point Positioning – New Approaches to GNSS Applications

  
  Vector One — Authority: 109
  I had the opportunity to visit with Nexteq Navigation when I returned home to Alberta recently. That company is developing innovative technologies leading toward wider use of Precise Point Positioning (PPP). It’s ‘Freedom’ technology is aptly named – and embeddable for any GPS receiver. Dr. Gao, CEO of Nexteq ...
  1 week ago

• Research of Taxi Monitoring and Dispatching System Based on WIFI

  
  GIS Park — Authority: 118
  In recent years, our country’s economy is developing with high speed and the number of vehicles is increasing rapidly, meanwhile, the phenomena of traffic jams, vehicle dispersion, robbing and stealing are serious. How to realize the effective direction, coordination, management of each kind of vehicles and ...
  1 week ago

• GIS Technician Job at QJumpers, Otago

  
  Find Job NZ — Authority: 139
  Location:    Otago Work type:    Full Time Classification:    Science & Technology    Environmental, Earth & Geosciences   PowerNet Limited is an electricity network company responsible for managing and maintaining... GIS Technician Job at QJumpers, Otago is a post from: Find Job ...
  1 week ago

• Premier Conference for Surveyors, Engineers, and Mapping Professionals Returns to San Diego

  
  Eric D. Colburn, Professional Land Surveyor — Authority: 111
  The Survey Summit to Focus on New and Emerging Technologies January 18, 2012 Redlands, California— For the second consecutive year, the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) will join forces with Esri to host the premier event in the surveying industry. The Survey Summit will take place July 21–24, ...
  1 week ago

• General Mills: Is The King Of Comfort Food Fully Valued?

  
  SeekingAlpha.com: Home Page — Authority: 529
  By Fiver Capital : I recently advised caution on the market while also recommending General Mills ( GIS ) as a good defensive name in a down market. With brands like Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Haagen-Dazs and Yoplait, its foods are available on grocery shelves from Miami to Anchorage with a nice dose of ...
  1 week ago

• Creating my own crime map

  
  Ask MetaFilter — Authority: 643
  I want to create a "crime map" of a city over time. I know the dates of the crimes, and I know the physical address. Id like for the crime map to be something that I could show a crowd in a presentation such that the audience members could witness for themselves how a particular part of the city changed as time went ...
  1 week ago

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