It is a computer based system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information—information attached to a location, such as latitude and longitude, street location. Geographically referenced information is also known as like highway intersections, office buildings, rivers, district boundaries and data can be acquired using a variety of technologies like Land surveyors, census takers, aerial photographers, police, and even average citizens with a GPS-enabled cell phone can collect data using GPS or street addresses that can be entered into GIS. This collected data such as land-use information, demographics, landscape features observations can be entered manually or in the case of a land survey map, digitized from a map format to a digital format by electronic scanning. Remote sensing data from satellites is acquired digitally and communicated to central facilities for processing and analysis in GIS. Digital satellite images for example can be analyzed in GIS to produce maps of land cover and land use. WHY GIS ? Governments have hard choices to make about where to spend their resources — especially limited funds and limited people time (both staff and volunteers). At the same time, the potential capabilities of a GIS may increasingly be needed as the challenge of delivering services and planning for a community's future becomes more complex. Fortunately GIS has become easier to develop. Like all computer based technologies, GIS has become less expensive, faster, and easier to use. The cost of developing GIS databases has also dropped. In addition there is a wealth of useful GIS data from the state available through Mass GIS including a color photo base map, a road network, zoning, wetlands, topographic contours, floodplains, etc. Applications of GIS
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Geological Information System (GIS)
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