How GIS Maps Are Used Today

GIS refers to technology known as geographic information systems. These systems capture, analyze, and present data based on location. The presentation is usually in the form of a map, but can also be output in other forms for analysis or to convey information. These systems are used by many industries, state and local government authorities, the Federal government and the military. Most of the systems are fairly similar, with the exception of the military which has different uses for the data. The use of GIS mapping has actually been around since the 1960's with the early computers. However, due to the massive amounts of data involved in these applications, there use did not become more widespread until the early 1980's.

This is when the computing resources became significantly faster at an affordable price. The earliest application of GIS technology was in Canada for a mapping project conducted by the federal Department of Forestry and Rural Development. The technology was used to develop detail mapping of rural land throughout Canada. The government was interested in determining where land was available for various purposes including agriculture, recreation and forestry. With the introduction of less costly and higher powered technology, the uses of GIS maps has grown significantly.

The applications have gone beyond simply presenting a map of land by type of use, to characteristics and demographics about the land. In the retail environment, companies will develop maps integrated with census and other data, to identify locations for building new stores or conducting various marketing activities. Governments can create maps to identify where services are needed, for example, locating areas where that are underserved by physicians or hospitals.

Law enforcement agencies have been using GIS to create maps identifying areas with criminal activity in order to increase patrols in that area. Events like 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina have allowed emergency responders to identify escape routes and relocation facilities. The advantage of GIS mapping is that it produces output, in the forms of map and other data, in a single place. By linking this data, it provides an easy to understand representation of the information. As computing capabilities increase the available applications will also grow.

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