GIS at Work
Until recently, GIS has been the preserve of professional experts and large corporations. Today, however, its benefits are accessible to almost any organisation. Here are some brief examples of GIS at work:
Environmental and Landscape Management
Environmental applications require the integration and analysis of a wide range of spatial data, including geology, landform and drainage. GIS provides a powerful set of tools for tackling spatial issues in landscape assessment, habitat creation and sustainable agriculture. Recent developments in web mapping provide exciting opportunities for education and public participation in landscape management.
Scenario Modelling
A GIS provides capabilities to undertake modelling scenarios and test 'what if?' type queries. This is an extremely powerful tool for planners, allowing different scenarios and potential outcomes to be tested quickly and efficiently.
Identifying Trends and Patterns
GIS software allows you to understand the major impact that geographic factors have on your organisation - for example, the demographic profile of an area you are considering for stakeholder involvement. By using a GIS, it is possible to plot maps, 3D models, charts and reports that allow you to quickly see trends in your data, as well as pick out those 'hot spots' that need attention.
Delivering Results
GIS allows you to deploy mapping capabilities throughout your organisation, or beyond to stakeholders and customers. You can give anyone with a web browser or mobile device the querying and viewing capabilities they need to obtain information on the move. For example: field technicians can view and edit spatial information, and transfer data back to their office; visitors to a website can get maps and directions, while consumers can gain access to information customised for their location.
Improving Efficiency
A GIS has the major advantage of replacing paper maps and documents which have traditionally been duplicated throughout an organisation and which require frequent updating and replacing. Tangible efficiency benefits can therefore be achieved by removing the need for paper documents and converting to GIS technology.
Data Management
Recent developments in GIS technology have created new opportunities to streamline and disseminate geographical information. For instance, GIS applications can be fully integrated with Relational Database Management Systems (such as Oracle), increasing security, accuracy and integrity of data. A GIS can also be accessed remotely via internet/intranet solutions, reducing data duplication and allowing information to be shared between multiple users.
Value-Added Processing
A GIS provides the potential to create new information from existing data, through selection and combination analysis techniques. Individual data layers can be combined in numerous ways to produce further information layers. For instance, the combination of slope, drainage, soils and vegetation data layers could provide a graded map for habitat creation potential.
Location-Based Services
The ability of mobile devices to determine their location has opened up new opportunities for location-based services (LBS). The analytical power of GIS can turn an average location-based service into an invaluable information source, allowing the delivery of personalised information specific to one's surroundings. Additionally, server-based systems allow the data to be dynamically updated and delivered to the mobile device of choice - for example, real-time traffic information.
Planning and Routing
The provision of optimum locations for the siting of an organisation, or the delivery of a service, can be aided by GIS analysis of road access, population density, catchment demand and distribution. Network analysis can be utilised to define optimum routes, such as shortest or fastest, for the deployment of transport and logistics vehicles.
Facility Management
Any organisation with a large number of sites or facilities has much to gain from GIS. Each individual site can be spatially referenced and stored in a GIS, allowing instant monitoring of buildings and other physical facilities, as well as providing large service regions with an effective and reliable management system.
Market Analysis
The spatial distribution of a population, and particularly different age groups and socio-economic sectors, are essential information to market analysts attempting to discover the most suitable place to launch a new campaign. The effectiveness of any given marketing strategy can also be modelled and evaluated.