Application Of GIS

Application Of GIS

GIS has been important in natural resources management, including land use planning, natural hazard assessment, wildlife habitat analysis, riparian zone management, and timber management. For example: in Geological department, Census bureau, department of  Housing and urban development etc.

In more recent years GIS has been used for crime analysis, emergency planning, land records management, market analysis and transportations applications. For example: in The department of  Homeland security’s National Incident Management system, The Federal Emergency Management agency etc.

Integration of GIS with the GPS, wireless technology, and the Internet has also introduced new and exciting applications. For examples: in Location base services technology, Interactive-mapping, Mobile mapping etc.

GIS is about much more than just making maps, though.  It’s a tool with a mind-boggling number of uses, from modeling how far a toxic spill will reach given wind and water currents, to analyzing the best location for a new cell phone tower, to storing and maintaining data about global climate change, to finding the most energy-efficient route for your mail carrier, to helping government officials figure out how to get aid to storm victims, to   determining the vulnerability of a wetlands area to pollution

Some mapping specialties

While most of us are most familiar with road maps and weather maps, there are several specialized maps for specific uses, and although they may use the same kinds of information, their requirements are different.

Cadastral maps

 Record and delineate legal property lines. Cadastral maps are critical to local governments, city planning, emergency response efforts, and real estate activities.

Topographic maps

Represent the terrain - mountains and valleys - of the earth’s surface.  They also often include vegetation, buildings, transportation lines, boundary lines, water bodies, and place names.

Nautical and aeronautical charts

 Provide critical information about the elevation of terrain and the depth of water bodies. These maps are designed specifically for sea and air navigation.

Image-based maps

use aerial and satellite images like those on the base layer of Internet maps, combined with other data, such as reference grids or roads derived from conventional geometric map sources.

Thematic maps

portray the geographical distribution of specific geographic features such as soils, vegetation, geology, or statistics like population density, tax rates, or air quality.

Geovisualization

Geovisualizationis a special category of map use that employs interactive and animated maps on a computer to display complex information about things like weather, sea temperature (El Nino), global warming, or greenhouse gases. These displays, often in three dimensions, represent an exciting new category of maps made possible through elaborate mathematical computations performed on computers.