For many students, GoogleEarth, BingMaps and other online resources are the first steps in experimenting with geographic data sets. But that’s not all there is to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The online mapping tools provide new ways for GIS users to make their knowledge available to broader audience, but they do not replace GIS systems. GIS takes a step further by helping researchers to manage large sets of inter-related data and to use thousands of tools for spatial data analysis and much more sophisticated maps and visuals.
In an interview with Geography in the News, Dr Richard Waite (Managing Director of ESRI UK) answers questions about GIS and how the fast moving technologies will impact the way that people use and study geography in the future. In another interview, Nigel Woof (MapAction) discusses how GIS is helping to improve the efficiency of disaster relief operations by gathering relevant information at the disaster scene and distributing it to aid workers in the form of maps.
While you’re thinking about the benefits of GIS, online mapping and other internet technologies, have you considered the large number of people in the UK who don’t have access to the internet at all? A recent panel discussion at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) for the 21st Century Challenges series discussed the Digital Divide in the UK, highlighting that 1 in 4 adults in the UK have never used the internet. You can read about it in more detail here.