WHAT IS GIS?
Simply put, GIS combine layers of information about a place to give you a better understanding of that place. What layers of information you combine depends on your purpose—finding the best location for a new store, analyzing environmental damage, viewing similar crimes in a city to detect a pattern, and so on.
GIS software provides the functions and tools needed to store, analyze, and display information about places. The key components of GIS software are
- Tools for entering and manipulating geographic information such as addresses or political boundaries
- A database management system (DBMS)
- Tools that create intelligent digital maps you can analyze, query for more information, or print for presentation
- An easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI)
Currently the school is using some of the MOWGLE (Mapping our World GIS Lessons for Educators) lessons on ArcView to develop the basic skills and to advance these skills using existing projects at NCEA Level's 2 and 3 Geography.
For more information visit www.gis.com