This document provides an overview of geographic information systems (GIS). It defines GIS and lists its main components and functions for supporting decision making about land use, natural resources, and other planning areas. The document outlines the history of GIS, why it is needed, technologies that support it like remote sensing and cartography, and common applications in areas like natural resource management and emergency response. It also discusses GIS software, data, users, methods, benefits, and functions like data capture, compilation, and storage. Finally, it provides lists of common commercial and open source GIS software options as well as advantages, disadvantages, and potential of GIS technology.

1. Geographic Information System (GIS)
Definition -Components -functions

2. In order to support decision making for planning and
management of land use, natural resources, environment,
transportation, urban facilities, and other administrative
records.

4. History
• Roger Tomilson –
Father of GIS

5. Why do you need GIS?
• Facilitates faster process of
operations
• Provides solution for many real world
problems with options of many
scenarios
• Decision making tool with the
support of organized data
• Integrating technology
• Dynamic map display and interactive
query
• Very good visualization tool

6. Technologies that support GIS
• Remote Sensing
• Photogrammetry (in surveying and mapping to ascertain
measurements between objects)
• Cartography (Manual/Automated)
• CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design & Manufacturing)
• Geodesy/Surveying/Mapping
• Geo-ICT (Geospatial information and
communication)

7. Where it is used?
• Natural resource management
• Infrastructure development
• Utility services
• Business applications
• Investigation services
• e-governance
• Scientific research
• Environment & Disaster management

9. Software
• GIS software provides the functions and tools
needed to store, analyze, and display
geographic information.
Key software components are:
• Tools for the input and manipulation of
geographic information
• A database management system
• Tools that support geographic query,
analysis and visualization
• A graphical user interface (GUI) for easy
access to tools

10. Data
• Possibly the most important component of a GIS
is the data.
• Geographic data and related tabular data can be
collected in-house or purchased from a
commercial data provider.
• A GIS will integrate spatial data (numerical
value) with other data resources and can even
use a DBMS (data base mgt system), used by
most organizations to organize and maintain
their data, to manage spatial data.

11. People
• GIS technology is of limited value without
the people who manage the system and
develop plans for applying it to real-world
problems.
GIS users range from technical specialists
who design and maintain the system to
those who use it to help them perform

12. METHODS
• A successful GIS operates according to
a well-designed plan and business rules,
which are the models and operating
practices unique to each organization.

13. Benefits for GIS
• Opportunity to reduce sets of manual maps held and associated
storage costs.
• Faster and more extensive access to geographic information.
• Improved analysis e.g. areas, distances, patterns, etc.
• Better communication of information to public officers,
members.
• Improved quality of services.
• Better targeting and coordination of services.
• Improved productivity in providing public information
• Improved efficiency in updating maps.
• Improved ability to aggregate data for specific sub areas.

14. Functions of GIS
• DATA CAPTURE
• DATA COMPILATION
• DATA STORAGE (GIS DATA MODELS)

15. S.No. Software Functionality /Remarks
Commercial Software / Proprietary software
1 ArcGIS Core modules, Market leader but high cost, many
more to be bought for other applications
2 Geomedia Core modules of GIS, supports education and
research institutions
3 MapInfo Moderate cost
4 Autocad Map Better input and database creation facility
5 JTMaps (India) Quite economical and works in vector model
Open Source
6 GRASS GIS Satellite Data Analysis & GIS (http://grass.itc.it/)
7 Quantum GIS Desktop GIS, supports all OS (http://qgis.org/)
8 ILWIS Satellite Data Analysis & GIS (www.itc.nl)
9 JUMP Read shp and gml format, display facility and support
for wms and wfs, limitations of working with large
data files (http://jump-project.org/)
10 PostGIS With Spatial extensions for the open source.
PostgreSQL database, allowing geospatial queries.
http://postgis.refractions.net/
11 Mapserver Web server GIS Software
(http://mapserver.gis.umn.edu/)
List of GIS software available commercially / as a open source/ freely to the user community

16. Advantages of GIS
• Exploring both geographical and thematic components of data in
a holistic way
• Stresses geographical aspects of a research question
• Large volumes of data
• Integration of data from widely disparate sources
• Allows a wide variety of forms of visualisation
Disadvantages of GIS
• Data are expensive
• Learning curve on GIS software can be long
• Shows spatial relationships but does not provide absolute solutions
• Origins in the Earth sciences and computer science.
• Solutions may not be appropriate for humanities research

17. Potential of GIS
The application of GIS is limited only by the imagination of
those who use it
~ Jack Dangermond

18. BY:B.SUBHASH