What is GIS?
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a robust and dynamic way to store, manipulate, analyze, and visualize spatial information. With GIS technologies, you can map data allowing you to understand, question, and interpret information by revealing patterns, trends, or relationships. Beyond mapping, GIS can manage data through storing and linking information. It also enables communication by visually sharing complex ideas.
Use Cases
In Public Health, GIS can be utilized to share information quickly. For example, interactive COVID-19 dashboards were enabled to provide real-time insights into the pandemic's spread. This dashboard maps total case numbers, deaths, and more. By overlaying demographic data, such as age and population density, GIS helps identify hot spots and track trends. Public health officials and decision-makers can use these visualizations to implement targeted interventions and communicate risks to the public to manage and mitigate the impact of COVID-19.
Reference: Created by the Vanderbilt Initiative for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Research, by Natalie Robbins and Steven Wernke, https://tn-covid19-vanderbilt.hub.arcgis.com/.
GIS can revolutionize business and marketing strategies by providing spatial insights into market trends, customer behavior, and competitive landscapes. For example, this map highlighting Black-owned businesses created by the Pew Research Center, can help identify opportunities for targeted marketing, partnership development, and community engagement. By visualizing the geographic distribution of these businesses, companies can tailor their outreach efforts, analyze market gaps, and foster stronger connections within the community.
Reference: Leppert, R. (2024). 'A look at Black-owned businesses in the U.S.', Pew Research Center, 16 February. Available at: https://pewrsr.ch/49jhYVy (Accessed 8 August 2024).
Mapping the relationship between leopards and population density in India serves as a compelling example of how geospatial data can illuminate the complex interactions between wildlife and human populations. To learn how this map was created, read more.
Reference: Huffmn, D. (2023). 'Leopard Map Disassembly', somethingaboutmaps, 31 May. Available at: https://somethingaboutmaps.wordpress.com/2023/05/31/leopard-map-disassembly/ (Accessed 8 August 2024).
In Urban Studies, GIS can be utilized to integrate spatial data with socio-economic, environmental, or infrastructural information to gain insights into urban development, land planning, sustainability, quality of life, and more. In this example, bicycle and pedestrian crashes that occurred at intersections, along arterial roads, and the main thoroughfare through Durango was mapped for city planner to identify where bicycle and pedestrian connections are needed.
Reference: Riling, A. (2024). 'Bicycle and Pedestrian Crashes', Esri Map Gallery. Available at: https://mapgallery.esri.com/submission-detail/35113 (Accessed 8 August 2024).
