Geographic Information System (GIS), Geography, Part 2

Geography is information about the earth's surface and the objects found on it, as well as a framework for organizing knowledge

Geography is helping people make better decisions in many disciplines.
Geographic data can be gathered and organized to support the generation of information products that are integrated in the business strategy of any organization.
A geographic information system is not an end in itself.
It is used to create useful information products that help organizations run better.
It has saved hundreds of millions of dollars through increased productivity and efficiencies.

Geography matters in every business and every discipline.
GIS is helping thousands of organizations around the world.
GIS is used on the Internet in places such as Sacramento County to organize its government for constituents.
If one simply touches a parcel on an online map, the information for that location is available for use.
Another city is helping people find resources by providing maps that allow them to find a job, find a park, or find a day care center and then show them how to get there.
An electric company is using GIS to automate all of its electrical facilities for asset management.
Florida Power and Light is using GIS to track weather fronts and hurricanes.
GIS is being used to study the effects of global warming, using maps to study the sea level rising and inundation occurring off a coast and the melt of glaciers in the Himalayas.
In Canada, Timberline Inc. is looking at sustainable forests and the visual and biological impact of forestry.
Nongovernment organizations (NGOs) are looking at saving some of the last unprotected wilderness in California.
GIS is at work in transportation, looking at travel times, and environmental impacts of transportation systems.

Archaeologists, as researchers and resource managers, understand the importance of geography.
Geographic variables exert a strong influence on human behavior today, and archaeologists are aware of the significance of this influence on the past.
Geography also influences the degree of exposure of archaeological sites and the impacts that they face from human activity and natural forces.
Management and research decisions are based on geography.
Geographic analysis and modeling provide answers to a variety of questions and help users; such as, Wisconsin's Historic Preservation Management and many university programs make informed decisions.

You may return to the Geographic Information System (GIS): Index