Scope of GIS

Scope of GIS

More than 800 colleges and universities offer courses in geographic information science. These are usually offered through geography departments, but GIS is applied to so many different fields that there are often GIS courses in other academic departments

          For the most part, yes, but professional map makers no longer just create maps of places that have never been mapped before.  Think of all the different uses of maps that you’ve seen... tourists navigating around a new city, mountain bikers planning their next ride, businesspeople figuring out where to build a new store, scientists identifying all the different types of plants and animals in a region, weather reporters showing the paths of hurricanes... cartographers and geographic information professionals are working behind the scenes to collect up-to-date information and display them on maps and computers to help a diverse range of users do an infinite number of things.

the mapping sciences are everywhere: in engineering, recreation, health care, city planning, environmental and earth sciences, planetary astronomy, real estate, local and federal government, universities, the Internet... and since so much information in the world now is collected with geographic coordinates.

In the private sector, individuals are needed who are well versed in geographical and cartographic concepts but also feel comfortable working with the hardware and software that drive the applications. These positions reflect the growing importance of GIS in all sectors of society and require a unique combination of education and skills.