Geographic information systems

The major technological advance of the late 20th century in this

regard was one that, although not specific to geography in its wide
range of applications, has had particular resonance for geographers.
Geographic information systems (GIS) are combined hardware and
software systems for the capture, storage, checking, integration,
manipulation, display, and analysis of spatially referenced (geocoded)
data. The data (i.e., information with coordinate referencing, such
as latitude and longitude) are input into these systems and displayed
in two- or three-dimensional maps and other diagrammatic forms.
Two or more maps can be overlaid and integrated for analysis—such
as a relief map and a map of wells—even if they are compiled on
different spatial grids. If geocoding schemes can be made compatible,
separate data sets can be combined, analyzed, and displayed. This is
technically demanding in many circumstances because of the issues
involved in the interpolation of values for particular points from
partial data. GIS facilitates modeling of processes in both space and
time and has been the focus of much research investment. It has a
massive range of potential applications in a wide range of areas, such
as the planning of public facilities and services.

The development of GIS and their applicability is a significant focus of

contemporary geographical work. Major public initiatives in the late
1980s in both the United States and the United Kingdom—the
National Center for Geographic Science and the Regional Research
Laboratories, respectively—have allowed research to expand
considerably, with geographers at the centre of major components of
the information sector (i.e., those who produce
and disseminate information). Instruction in GIS operation and use is
now a core component of many degree programs. Many universities
offer specialist qualifications in GIS, and conferences of GIS users are
by far the largest regular gatherings involving geographers. To some
this modern expression of cartography comprises a
geographic information science, part of a larger field of
geoinformatics; it provides many geography graduates with a heavily
demanded key skill, and its research and applications potential offers
a secure foundation for the discipline’s future.

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