Maps With Gis example essay topic

Simply put, a GIS combines layers of information about a place to give you a better understanding of that place. What layers of information you combine depends on your purpose-finding the best location for a new store, analyzing environmental damage, viewing similar crimes in a city to detect a pattern, and so on. What is GIS? , PDF slide show, (1.89 MB) Geography Matters, PDF white paper from ESRI (319 KB) What do you need to use GIS? A full GIS, or geographic information system, requires: o Hardware (computers and peripherals) o Software o Data o People o Training and sound analysis methods for interpreting the results generated by the GIS.

Read on for more detailed information. How To Use GISMapping Where Things Are Mapping where things are lets you find places that have the features you are looking for and to see where to take action. 1. Find a feature-People use maps to see where or what an individual feature is. 2.

Finding patterns-By looking at the distribution of features on the map instead of just an individual feature, you can see patterns emerge. This map shows the location of man-made objects such as buildings, antennas, and towers, as well as landscape features that can pose dangers to aircraft leaving or approaching airfields. Map courtesy of General Command of Mapping Cartography Department, Ankara, Turkey. [1] Mapping Where Things Are [2] Mapping Quantities [3] Mapping Densities [4] Finding What's Inside [5] Finding What's Nearby [6] Mapping Change print this article How To Use GISMapping Quantities People map quantities, such as where the most and least are, to find places that meet their criteria and take action, or to see the relationships between places.

This gives an additional level of information beyond simply mapping the locations of features. For example, a catalog company selling children's clothes would want to find ZIP Codes not only around their store, but also those ZIP Codes with many young families with relatively high income. Or, public health officials might want not only to map physicians but also to map the numbers of physicians per 1,000 people in each census tract to see which areas are adequately served and which are not. This map from the Silent Spring Institute of Newport, Massachusetts, shows the number of breast cancer cases in Cape Cod relative to land use.

The map is used to analyze whether use of pesticides or other toxic chemicals may have contributed to the number of cases. Learn more about this study. [1] Mapping Where Things Are [2] Mapping Quantities [3] Mapping Densities [4] Finding What's Inside [5] Finding What's Nearby [6] Mapping Change How to Do GIS Analysis Frame the Question Start your GIS analysis by figuring out what information you need. This is most often in the form of a question: o Where were most of the burglaries last month? o How much forest is in each watershed? o Which parcels are within 500 feet of this liquor store? Be as specific as possible about the question you want to answer. This will help you decide how to approach the analysis, which method to use, and how to present the results.

This map shows the potential acoustical impacts on the surrounding area of a particular type of rocket engine. The darker the blue, the higher the decibel level, to 129 decibels. 120 decibels or lower are acceptable outside the buffer zone (the jagged line surrounding the darker areas). Map courtesy of Lockheed Martin Space Operations, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. [1] How Do You Do GIS Analysis? [2] Select Your Data [3] Choose an Analysis Method [4] Process the Data [5] Look at the Results print this article Why Use GIS?

1. Improve organizational integration. 2. Make better decisions. 3.

Make maps. Real-world example: Chase Manhattan Bank Improve Organizational Integration One of the main benefits of GIS is improved management of your organization and resources. A GIS can link data sets together by common locational data, such as addresses, which helps departments and agencies share their data. By creating a shared database, one department can benefit from the work of another-data can be collected once and used many times. topMake Better Decisions The old adage 'better information leads to better decisions' is true for GIS.

A GIS is not just an automated decision making system but a tool to query, analyze, and map data in support of the decision making process. For example, GIS can be used to help reach a decision about the location of a new housing development that has minimal environmental impact, is located in a low-risk area, and is close to a population center. The information can be presented succinctly and clearly in the form of a map and accompanying report, allowing decision makers to focus on the real issues rather than trying to understand the data. Because GIS products can be produced quickly, multiple scenarios can be evaluated efficiently and effectively. topMake Maps For simplicity's sake we often call GIS 'mapping software.

' We most often associate maps with physical geography, but the map to the right demonstrates that GIS is flexible enough to map any kind of terrain, even the human body. GIS can map any data you wish. Making maps with GIS is much more flexible than traditional manual or automated cartography approaches. A GIS creates maps from data pulled from databases.

Existing paper maps can be digitized and translated into the GIS as well. The GIS-based cartographic database can be both continuous and scale free. Map products can then be created centered on any location, at any scale, and showing selected information symbolized effectively to highlight specific characteristics. A map can be created anytime to any scale for anyone, as long as you have the data. This is important because often we say 'I see' to mean 'I understand. ' Pattern recognition is something human beings excel at.

There is a vast difference between seeing data in a table of rows and columns and seeing it presented in the form of a map. The difference is not simply aesthetic, it is conceptual-it turns out that the way you see your data has a profound effect on the connections you make and the conclusions you draw from it. GIS gives you the layout and drawing tools that help present facts with clear, compelling documents. top GIS for Educators Most problems facing the world today-environmental, economic, political, or social-exist in a geographic context. GIS provides the geographic research and analysis tools to bring this context to students. This map shows the coal resources and availability for mining for the Villa Grove Quadrangle, Douglas County, Illinois.

It is one of a set from an atlas of detailed geologic information and derivative maps. Interpreted geologic maps and derivative maps such as this are important tools for implementing 'smart growth. ' Community officials and urban planners can make better land use decisions regarding natural resources when they use these informative maps. Coal mining companies also use maps like this to guide their investment and mine planning decisions.