Geographic information systems (GIS) is a widely used tool that
has a variety of applications. It can be used to interpret spatial data and
display it in a visually appealing way, generally with maps. One of the most important features of GIS I have
encountered is the ability to compile layers of data together on the same
visual reference. For example, data
about crimes in a given area paired with suspected causes of crime like
poverty, gang affiliations, etc. can present a visual map with the data overlaid
on top of each other. This allows for an
accurate analysis of the relationship of multiple different sets of data. Furthermore, the application of GIS in the
planning process can be particularly effective for a variety of planning
issues.
Zoning is an incredibly important tool for municipalities to
decide the way they want their township or city to look. Clearwater Florida has a
website that uses ArcGIS to display zoning patterns for citizens. This can help resolve issues and inform
citizens what is able to be built in or around the property that they own. The uses of GIS for community planning go far
beyond zoning, a movement known as Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS) is providing various ways
citizens can interact with their community.
These range from creating maps of your community for exercise or safe
routes to school all the way to quantifying the health data for a local
hospital. The applications of GIS extend
beyond the community and can be used to protect the environment through
observing watershed data, species habitats, and deforestation rates.
Agencies such as the EPA and USGS gather enormous
amounts of GIS compatible data about the environment. This could range from soil data to ease in
site selection for agricultural production to water quality data of various
bodies of surface and ground water. Once
again the ability of GIS to overlay data and create complex maps relating
several types of data and aid us in intelligently using our remaining open
space. In conclusion, GIS allows us to
observe different characteristics of our world at once streamlining the
necessary information to make smart decisions about how our population grows
and prospers.
WebGIS can be really cool for the applicant. There are some jurisdictions that have deeded lot lines and subdivisions for everyone to use. It can be very helpful to those property owners, who don't have access to their properties plats.
ReplyDeleteThe "G" in GIS usually refers to "geographic".
ReplyDeleteI agree, WebGIS can be a very useful tool for residents with the access to it. It's too bad that so many online GIS applications feature dated interfaces.
ReplyDeleteWebGIS is a great way for government agencies to make lots of information available to the public in an easy to use manner. For example the Natural Resource Conservation Service has an online database for Web Soil Surveys that anyone from a developer to a homeowner can easily access to asses the condition of the soil on their property. From these soil maps, a user can determine if their parcel of land floods easily, has soils suitable for construction, etc. This is just one of many examples of how online GIS technologies can be a powerful tool to create an active, informed public.
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