What is GIS?
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are
systems of hardware, software, and procedures to facilitate the management,
manipulation, analysis, modelling, representation, and visualization of
geo-referenced data to solve complex problems regarding the planning and
management of resources.
It is the ability to produce a map image that sets GIS apart from other
database systems. Perhaps more simply, a GIS gives you tools to answer
questions about a location (geographic information). You can combine layers of
information stored in a database that may include addresses, aerial
photographs, dates, and other numerical values.
What is the
difference between GIS and a traditional map?
Both
GIS and traditional maps represent the real world. One way of thinking about it
is that the GIS is the Data
while the map is the Picture.
The
end result of GIS analysis is often a Map, or Cartographic output, but it is only one of many output
types. Once created, a traditional map cannot be changed. However, as an
integrated system, a GIS allows users to ask new questions of a database and visualize
answers.