THE ELEMENTS OF GEOGRAPHIC

INFORMATION SYSTEMS
A GIS integrates five main components:
hardware, software, data, people, and methods.
Equipment (Hardware)
The hardware is the computer where the GIS operates.
Today, GIS can run on a wide variety of platforms, ranging
from servers (mainframe) to desktop computers (desktop)
or Laptop (laptop) used in network or offline configurations
Programs (Software)
GIS programs provide the functions and tools required to store, analyze
and display geographic information. The most important components are:

• Tools for the entry and manipulation of geographic information.

• A database management system (DBMS)
• Tools that allow geographic searches, analysis and visualization.
• Graphical user interface (GUI) for easy access to tools.
Data
Possibly the most important components of a GIS are data. The
related geographic and tabular data can be collected in the company,
in the field or acquired from the person who implements the
information system, as well as from third parties who already have
them available. GIS integrates spatial data with other data resources
and can even use the most common database managers (DBMS) to
organize, maintain, and manage spatial data and all geographic
information
Human resource
GIS technology is limited if you don't have the right staff to
operate, develop and manage the system, and carry out
development plans to apply them to real-world problems.
GIS users include technical specialists, who design and
maintain the system for those who use it on a daily basis.
Methodology and Procedures
For a GIS to be successful, it must operate according to a well-
designed and structured plan and in accordance with the rules of the
company or institution, which are the operating models and practices
characteristic of each organization.
GIS functions

A GIS stores information in thematic layers that can be linked

geographically. This simple yet highly powerful and versatile
concept has proven critical in solving many problems ranging
from tracking delivery vehicles, recording the details of the
planning application, to modeling global atmospheric circulati
Geographic Reference

Geographic information contains an explicit geographic

reference such as latitude and longitude, national
coordinates, or an implicit reference such as an address, a
postal code, the name of a census tract, the identifier of a
wooded area, or the name of a road. . An automated
process called geocoding is used to create explicit
geographic references (multiple locations) from implicit
references (descriptions such as addresses). These
geographical references allow to locate elements on the
earth's surface to be analyzed, for example, a business
stand, forests or events such as an earthquake.

Geographic information systems work with two

fundamental types of geographic models, the “vector
model” and the “raster model”.
APPLICATION IN THE FIELD OF
LOGISTICS
Traffic: GIS used to model the behavior of traffic determining
traffic patterns on a road based on traffic conditions and the
dimensions of the route. The possibility of having information on
road axes allows the generation of network analysis as optimal
routes.
Management: Knowing the location in the
territory of the different types of roads
suitable for transport (roads, railways, air
routes and maritime routes, places of
loading and unloading, supply points and
vehicle fleet) lays the foundations for a
good spatial analysis. The possibility of
associating attributes to each of these
entities such as the state of the road, the
traffic capacity, the telephone number of
contact with the person in charge of each
supply point, the types of fuels they
dispense, the loading and unloading
schedules, the type and make of the
vehicle, the driver's data, among others,
make up a powerful management and
decision-making tool