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Geographical Information System (GIS) deals with spatial data collection, processing, manipulation, storing and visualization as well as the derived information. It links databases and maps. Also manages information about places. Today, more and more advanced applications requires more functionality from such spatial system, e.g. applications in advanced urban planning, geology, oil and minerals exploration, and underground mapping including utility mapping. This article describes a brief introduction of GIS and its application.

Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer based information system used to digitally represent and analyse the geographic features present on the Earth' surface and the events (non-spatial attributes linked to the geography under study) that taking place on it. The meaning to represent digitally is to convert analog (smooth line) into a digital form. "Every object present on the Earth can be geo-referenced", is the fundamental key of associating any database to GIS. Here, term 'database' is a collection of information about things and their relationship to each other, and 'geo-referencing' refers to the location of a layer or coverage in space defined by the co-ordinate referencing system.

The commencement of work on GIS was in 1950s , while GIS software came into existance in 1970s in the lab of ESRI. Canada took the lead role in the development of GIS due to innovations in early 1960s. Roger Tomilson was the key person for early development of GIS. Planners , engineers , managers etc had transformed and revolutionized the ways for database management and analysis. GIS was successfully used in new technologies , apps , customer types and business models. The developments in GIS are attributed to mainframes to minicomputers , desktops to the enterprise , UNIX workstations to PCs. With the leap in technology GIS is being made user friendly , powerful , collaborative and more useful for day to day work. Data associated with spatial element in the real world can be analyized and manipulated. The cartographic software can be used to display the geographic information. The layers will show different aspect like road network , vegetation cover , topography , water bodies , streams and annual precipitation.

Need of GIS?        

Many professionals, such as foresters, urban planners, and geologists, have recognized the importance of spatial dimensions in organizing & analyzing information. Whether a discipline is concerned with the very practical aspects of business, or is concerned with purely academic research, geographic information system can introduce a perspective, which can provide valuable insights as 

1.      70% of the information has geographic location as it's denominator making spatial analysis an essential tool. 

2.      Ability to assimilate divergent sources of data both spatial and non-spatial (attribute data). 

3.      Visualization Impact 

4.      Analytical Capability 

Sharing of Information 

What can we do with GIS?

GIS = Geographic Information System

–       Links databases and maps

–       Manages information about places

–       Helps answer questions such as:

1.     Where is it?

2.     What else is nearby?

3.     Where is the highest concentration of ‘X’?

4.     Where can I find things with characteristic ‘Y’?

5.     Where is the closest ‘Z’ to my location?

 Mapping where things are and find places that have the features we are looking for, and to see where to take action.

Find a feature—People use maps to see where or what an individual feature is.

·      Finding patterns—looking at the distribution of features on the map instead of just an individual feature, we can see patterns emerge.

Advantages of GIS

The Geographic Information System has been an effective tool for implementation and monitoring of municipal infrastructure. The use of GIS has been in vogue primarily due to the advantage mentioned below:

1.     Planning of project

2.     Make better decisions

3.     Visual Analysis

4.     Improve Organizational Integration

Planning of Project

Advantage of GIS is often found in detailed planning of project having a large spatial component, where analysis of the problem is a pre requisite at the start of the project. Thematic maps generation is possible on one or more than one base maps, example: the generation of a land use map on the basis of a soil composition, vegetation and topography. The unique combination of certain features facilitates the creation of such thematic maps. With the various modules within GIS it is possible to calculate surface, length, width and distance.
Making Decisions

GIS, however, is not an automated decision making system but a tool to query, analyze, and map data in support of the decision making process. GIS technology has been used to assist in tasks such as presenting information at planning inquiries, helping resolve territorial disputes, and siting pylons in such a way as to minimize visual intrusion.
Visual Analysis 

Digital Terrain Modeling (DTM) is an important utility of GIS. Using DTM/3D modeling, landscape can be better visualized, leading to a better understanding of certain relations in the landscape. Many relevant calculations, such as (potential) lakes and water volumes, soil erosion volume (Example: landslides), quantities of earth to be moved (channels, dams, roads, embankments, land leveling) and hydrological modeling becomes easier.
Not only in the previously mentioned fields but also in the social sciences GIS can prove extremely useful. Besides the process of formulating scenarios for an Environmental Impact Assessment, GIS can be a valuable tool for sociologists to analyze administrative data such as population distribution, market localization and other related features.   

Improving Organizational Integration  

Many organizations that have implemented a GIS have found that one of its main benefits is improved management of their own organization and resources. Because GIS has the ability to link data sets together by geography, it facilitates interdepartmental information sharing and communication. By creating a shared database one department can benefit from the work of another--data can be collected once and used many times.
As communication increases among individuals and departments, redundancy is reduced, productivity is enhanced, and overall organizational efficiency is improved. Thus, in a utility company the customer and infrastructure databases can be integrated so that when there is planned maintenance, affected people can be informed by computer-generated letters.

The Geographic approach

Geography is the science of our world.  Coupled with GIS, geography is helping us to better understand the earth and apply geographic knowledge to a host of human activities.  The outcome is the emergence of The Geographic Approach—a new way of thinking and problem solving that integrates geographic information into how we understand and manage our planet. This approach allows us to create geographic knowledge by measuring the earth, organizing this data, and analyzing and modeling various processes and their relationships. The Geographic Approach also allows us to apply this knowledge to the way we design, plan, and change our world.

Maps of the locations of earthquake shaking hazards are essential to creating and updating building codes used in the United States. Online, interactive earthquake maps, as well as seismicity and fault data, are available at earthquake.usgs.gov

The GIS users are now more interdisciplinary than ever. Their applications are in wide range of fields and projects, and across a variety of subjects, The system have been used in studies of the spatial distribution of forests, minerals, animals as well as snow melt run off simulation, fertility transition dynamics and industrial location. One of the marked changes in the user community has been the increasing number of diverse studies. The Web mapping/visualization tools developed by Google and Microsoft provide very fast, easy-to-access views of images and maps. These viewers are highly optimized for rapid search and display but are not suited for the more complex work commonly performed by those using a full GIS.

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