Wisconsin Coastal GIS Applications Project
What is GIS?
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Definition of a Geographic Information System (GIS)
A system of hardware, software, data, people, organizations, and institutional
arrangements for collecting, storing, analyzing, and disseminating information
about areas of the earth.
Requisite functionality for a GIS consists of: 1) the ability to create, edit,
and delete geographically structured data; 2) the ability to link locational and
attribute data; 3) the ability to perform spatial analysis functions, including
analytical map overlay of multiple data themes and network analysis; 4) the
ability to display geographic information. Geographic data editing and network
analysis are both facilitated by use of a topological data structure that describes
objects as points, lines, and areas and records the relationships of incidence and
connectivity among them.
Dueker and Kjerne 1989; pp. 7-8
GIS for Coastal Management
Government programs for comprehensive and coordinated coastal management require
the collection and integration of large amounts of geospatial data to be effective.
Examples of geospatial data commonly used in coastal management include: location
of the shoreline, regulatory zones on both the land and water sides of the shore,
land ownership, bathymetry, coastal geomorphology, infrastructure, and habitat area
delineations. Geographic information systems (GIS) provide the means to manage,
integrate, and analyze these data. Darius Bartlett of University College in Cork,
Ireland wrote an article in 1990 identifying several benefits of a
GIS approach to coastal management, including: (1) the ability to model, test, and
compare alternative scenarios - before the proposed strategy is imposed on the real world;
(2) the ability to handle much larger data bases and to integrate and synthesize
data -- leading to a more holistic and coordinated management strategies; and
(3) enhanced capacity for data exchange (Bartlett 1990, p. 33).
Links to Web Sites About GIS
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Last modified by David Hart on
October 22, 1999