Many people don't have the slightest clue what GIS is. Geographic Information Systems are a way to visualize, analyze, model, and interpret datasets that are attached to a geographic location. In a nutshell, points on a map carry information with them in order to show similarities and differences of locations. The applications include engineering, planning, management, transport/logistics, insurance, telecommunications, and business. One can use GIS to display characteristics of a set of houses or even determine how to get medicine to dying patients. Whatever the purpose, GIS is only growing.
Spatial analysis has been around since the early 1800s. In 1854, John Snow created a cholera cases map in London led to a contaminated water pump. In the early 1900s, photozincography was developed allowing maps to be split into layers such as one for vegetation and another for water. 1960 brought the first true operational GIS, CGIS. It was used to store , analyze, and manipulate data on a computer. In the early 1980s, commercial vendors of GIS software emerged and brought GIS to the mainstream(i. e. ESRI, the creator of ArcGIS, the main staple of the GIS world). By the end of the 20th century, people began to explore viewing GIS data over the internet. This has led to a revolution in how people view maps. Boring, static, maps have evolved into interactive maps that can be manipulated anywhere with an internet connection.
Speaking with people in the GIS business, I have learned how GIS is utilized by 911 data analysts to ascertain the fastest routes and closest proximity to someone needing medical care. Engineering companies use it to make flood maps and map city infrastructures. Large chains like McDonalds and Autozone use it to figure out where to build new stores according to demographic data. Data can be input in real-time and displayed instantaneously. The field is only getting bigger, and I for one can't wait to see where it is going.
