Geographic Information System

Margaret Leland Smith

At the most basic level, a geographic information system (GIS) is a collection of digital information about physical features and human activities or events that is linked to a spatial coordinate system and available for analysis. The information (or data) is typically stored in a database and referenced, or linked, by means of a geographic coordinate system of measurements. Selected elements are displayed in computer-generated maps as layers of information about a specific area. A geographic information system in use by a police department would include a database of specific information about crimes and arrests that is linked to spatial data for streets, buildings, and other geographic divisions (police beats and/or precincts) and is accessible to department staff through a computer software interface. As needed, various types of crime, or various areas of a community, may be displayed as maps. Geographic information systems are used to create descriptive displays of ...

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