What is the inportance of GIS in geography?

Question

hey guys my name is summera shaheen and im a student of geography at karachi university,pakistan.im writing an article on GIS and geography for our magazine.can u guys plz plz plz help me and tell me about the evolution of technology in the field of geography and the use of GIS and remote sensing in geography???i would really apprecialte it.

Answer 1

GIS (geographic information systems) and remote sensing are two different things.  But, they are extensively used with each other.  A new term is coming into use:  GIT (geographic information technology) that includes GIS, remote sensing, the internet, and other forms of technology used in geographic knowledge.

GIS is important to geography because:

(1) it allows geographers to create maps faster and more efficiently, with greater accuracy, and maps can be produced or updated on demand.

(2) it allows the automation of certain processes that are often labor and time intensive (there is a LOT of geometry and calculus in geography, and who likes doing all that math?)

(3) it allows non-spatial data to be attached to spatial data, which allows data to be analyzed and used in ways never done before.

An example of #3:  a city has a map showing all the buildings in it.  Who owns them?  What are the taxes on them?  Are they businesses or houses? etc.   In the past, the maps might have a lot number printed on it, and then the user had to go to the archives and pull up the file on that lot number and look up the owner and see what kind of building it is, and what the taxes are on it.  With GIS, all this information is stored in one place.  Additionally, a map showing taxes paid can be created from this data.  Perhaps people in one part of the city are paying higher taxes than another.  But, that kind of map was very difficult to create before GIS, and could have taken weeks or months of work to create.  With GIS this takes a few seconds.

Additionally, GIS and remote sensing, combined with the internet, has allowed people to create custom maps when they need them.  For example, using Yahoo! Maps, you can create a map showing you how to get from one place to another.  This was never possible before.  A person would have to have a paper map (not always available) and would have to be geographically literate enough to know how to read the map and to decide the best route given the information presented on the map.  Many people are not skilled in doing this.  Additionally, people can use these maps to learn more about places they may have never known existed otherwise.

Remote sensing is the collection of information about Earth from airplanes or satellites in space.  This has allowed people to learn things about Earth the were never able to learn before.  This is because we cannot see some objects and patterns from the ground or because we cannot see other wavelengths of light (such as infrared; plants are very bright in infrared and are easier to see that way).  Because every place on Earth has a spatial location, remote sensing data is often processed or used with GIS.

Answer 2

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have transformed the way many city governments operate. A GIS is an excellent tool for the computerized storage and analysis of spatial data so public agencies are finding them invaluable for day-to-day work.

tools which allow organisations to locate addresses accurately using geographic data and utilise it to provide better services to customers. When an address is linked to a grid-reference point the exact location can be shown visually on a map, helping organisations to locate a desired destination with pinpoint accuracy. This can be extremely useful to government organisations or Utilities companies in logistics rationalisation for pinpointing the location of a faulty water mains or a gas leak, and for high street retailers in showing the whereabouts of a store or outlet to enquirers.