Foresights
Geographic Information System (GIS)
What is it?
A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer system that stores and manages geographically referenced data. Just a few examples of the many applications for GIS data are county boundaries, land use, pollution monitoring, location-based services, utility infrastructure, urban development, transport, and environmental management, telecommunications systems and the exploration for and exploitation of natural resources.
GIS data can be assembled and manipulated to provide rich spatial information. Such data are frequently displayed as electronic maps that allow users to drill down to find more detailed information on locations that interest them. Historically GIS applications were processing-intensive and often run on large mainframes. With improvements in processing power, we are now starting to see GIS available on desktop and even mobile devices.
GIS is not new. The base technology is mature and well established and is used extensively in many sectors. However, GIS remains interesting because of the ways in which it can be combined with developing technologies such as wireless networks, RFID and smart dust.
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