GIS is a software that combines data with geographic coordinates to create powerful analytical tools. It can overlay various data types onto maps for decision making. Geospatial analysis has many uses, including wildlife management, disaster planning, and climate change modeling. It was first used in Canada in the 1960s and has since grown in popularity. Real-world examples include fleet management and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Scientists also use it to map the effects of climate change.
A geographic information system (GIS) is a software program that combines data that can be tied to geographic coordinates with tools and methods that can transform the information into a powerful analytical tool. GIS technology can overlay many types of data, including demographic, statistical, topographic, city infrastructure, or weather data, to name a few, onto maps to transform complex data into actionable information. Together, GIS software, data and methodologies combine to provide a technology called geospatial analysis.
Using geospatial analysis techniques, people have access to a powerful tool for data modeling and decision making. Geospatial analysis has hundreds of uses, including wildlife management, urban planning, facilities management, fleet management, disaster planning, military operations, climate change modeling, and many more. The types of geospatial analysis that can be performed by a GIS program are almost limitless.
GIS and geospatial analytical technology are thought to have first been used in the early 1960s. One of its first uses was to create a digital inventory of natural resources for Canada. Since then, its use has skyrocketed and there are thousands of different GIS packages on the market and hundreds of GIS-related companies. One of the earliest applications of GIS and geospatial analysis was in wildlife management. By stratifying wildlife population data, vegetation data, human population data, and other types of map data, wildlife management officials can help determine whether a particular area can support the current wildlife population. wild or if efforts to control the population need to be undertaken.
Another real-world example of how people use geospatial analytics is fleet management. Shippers can use the technology to determine the closest available driver for a given delivery. They can use traffic information, street maps, construction data, and other information to provide route information or predict destination arrival times.
The April 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is an example of its use in disaster planning and recovery. Through satellite imagery, maps, ocean current data and weather information, scientists can monitor the spread of oil and predict where it will go. Having this information, officials can better plan corrective actions.
Geospatial analysis has also been used extensively by scientists to map the effects and potential threats of climate change. Climatologists can predict the potential effects of climate change on various ecosystems around the world. The data sources they use to do this include current and historical climate statistics, aerial photographs, satellite imagery, and geographic positioning system (GPS) coordinates.
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