What Is GIS?
Figure 1. A GIS software screen capture shows roads, hydrography, watershed and sample location (orange dots) layers.Copyright 2010 Nathan L. Howell, NSF GK-12 Program, College of Engineering, University of Houston. Screen capture and distance measurement done in ESRI ArcGIS® software.
Geographic information systems (GIS) are important technology that allows rapid study and use of spatial information. GIS have become increasingly prevalent in industry and the consumer/internet world in the last 20 years. Historically, the basis of GIS was in mapping, and so it is important to understand the basis of maps and how to use them as well as why they are different from GIS. In this lesson, students learn the value of maps, how to use maps, and the basic components of a GIS. They are also introduced to numerous GIS applications.
Engineers are not by nature cartographers, but many types of engineering require gathering, utilizing, analyzing and modeling spatial data. Not only is GIS a good way for engineers to organize data and formulate better project designs, but it serves as an effective tool to communicate ideas to clients and especially the public at large. This is because GIS can be extremely visual as a static figure or as something interactive for varying levels of expertise. In the sphere of technology, this is one type that will be in the toolboxes of many different kinds of engineers, and the study of how to design a better GIS can itself be considered a form of engineering.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify the most critical parts of any map.
- Describe the static nature of maps (they are only one moment in time).
- Find distances on a map.
- Explain how a GIS is different from a static map.
- Describe the difference between spatial and non-spatial data.
- Describe what geographic layers are.
- Explain how engineers use GIS to solve real-world problems including mapping new territories.