GIS Overview: What is GIS?

GIS: An organized collection of computer hardware, software, geographic data, and personnel. This system is designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display the geographically referenced information.

It's not maps, but it is...

* A method of organizing data

Geographic Data (Maps, Images, Drawings)

Descriptive Data (Databases)

* A method of distributing data

* A method of analyzing data

* A method of visualizing data

Why GIS?

* GIS is about finding patterns in data.

* Data comes from many different sources...consider all data in order to make informed decisions.

* Answer questions quickly and easily about location: Where? Why? How?

* Solve problems more efficiently.

* Illustrate patterns and trends that tabular data alone cannot show.