Educational Resources

What is GIS?


For more in depth information please click use the links below

How Do You Use GIS?

GIS is important today because it is able to bring together information from multiple sources so that various types of work can be done. In order to do this though, the data must be tied to a specific location on the Earth's surface. Latitude and longitude are usually used for this and the locations to be viewed are attached to their points on the geographic grid.

In order to then do an analysis, another set of data is layered on top of the first one to show spatial patterns and relationships. For example, elevation at specific locations can show up in the first layer and then rates of precipitation at various places in the same area can be in the second. Through a GIS analysis patterns about elevation and the amount of precipitation then arise.

For more information, including uses of GIS today, please click the link below

Other Useful Resources
  • What is Geomatics - the discipline of gathering, storing, processing, and delivering geographic information, or spatially referenced information. 