Tag Archives: Geographic Information Systems
GIS Mapping Basics
Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, are systems that gather, organize and analyze data in terms of its geographical location. GIS mapping uses computer software to register data from land surveys, aerial and satellite photography, as well as a wide variety of other sources. This data is then combined and represented in map form.By layer data in geographical form, Geographic Information Systems mapping can tell us a lot about a particular location that we didn’t know before. The data input can include things like, rivers, mountains, streams, roads, gas stations, highways, bus stops, etc. Statistical data like census figures and other demographical information can also be fed into a GIS to produce different geographical analyses. The kind of data you input into a GIS depends on the type of analysis you are trying to acquire about a given location. For example, you can input a city’s crime stats onto a geographic Read more…
GIS For Successful Grant Writing
Ways GIS can facilitate a grant projectSuccessful grant writing requires a clear and focused description of the project, needs, budget, and resources. GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping can greatly assist grant writing in the following ways:· Describing your project’s impact· Doing research and analysis· Conducting outreach, education, and advocacy· Engaging public participation· Evaluating your project’s resultsGrants may request information on how the project will have an impact on communities and natural resources. What geographic area will be served by your project? Will your project serve certain populations: low-income, those with primary languages other than English, disadvantaged minority groups? Does your project need to target a certain age group such as parents with young children or the elderly? GIS can be used to locate these populations, describe them with maps (including intersections of multiple socioeconomic and geographic variables), and illustrate how your project will be accomplished in the community. With GIS, you can demonstrate your project’s Read more…
The Uses of Oil and Gas GIS for the Energy Sector
For many years, scientists in different fields of studies used GIS or geographic information systems successfully to create different kinds of geospatial datasets. In the energy sector, the utilization of GIS contributed greatly in improving the efficiency of exploration and distribution of energy. For example, oil and gas GIS have been used to create structured and historical maps to pinpoint exact locations of gas basins and oil deposits. Gas pipeline GIS on the other hand have been used by energy companies to improve distribution services from the production facilities to the consumers. In North America alone, there are more than 150 gas pipelines for the distribution of crude oil. These pipelines run for several hundred miles underground spanning across the 48 states of the United States including the gas pipelines in Canada and Mexico. An energy distribution company therefore faces an extreme dilemma in identifying its oil and gas pipelines Read more…
Agriculture Crop Management and Production Improved by Satellite Remote Sensing Technology and Geographic Information Systems (gis)
Scientists for many years have been using satellite remote sensing technology, utilizing low and medium resolution sensors to improve water balance and farming yield assessment on large geographical scales around the world. With the availability of high resolution satellite sensors such as IKONOS, QuickBird and soon GeoEye-1, the current remote sensing NDVI algorithms utilized have become more accurate and reliable, providing detailed crop information for agriculture management to improve production and crop health.FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) data indicate that annually 2500 km3 of freshwater is used for agricultural production, which amounts to 70% of the water resources that the world population consumes in a year. China is now consuming more than twice as much as what its ecosystems can supply sustainably, having doubled its needs since the 1960s, as indicated in a new WWF report. With the global population continuing to grow at a high Read more…
