Geographic Information System (GIS)

A GIS is a computer system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information; that is, data identified according to location. Practitioners also define a GIS as including the procedures, operating personnel, and spatial data that go into the system.

GIS data integration makes it possible to link, or integrate, information that is difficult to associate through any other means. Thus, a GIS can use combinations of mapped variables to build and analyze new variables.

In practicality, GIS generally represents the maps / globes and “dots” on them that are used to represent an almost infinite variety of realities and relationship.

Such maps and globes with overlaid information help enable decisions, which helps organize information and put it into formats that can be collectively overlaid and displayed in regard to other data sets that are related. Commonly cause-and-effect relationships are what are being sought by “seeing” a geospatial linkage between geospatially related data sets. Finding the “Significance” and “Meaning” are generally the goals for this data organization and display on maps, globes, or other display paradigm.

Linking mobile devices, location-based services, cloud computing, visual analytics, alerting, and communication through many means such as social networks, command centers, and operational responder s are becoming integral parts of many GIS systems such as those of AccessAgility.