Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Applications And Trends

摘要

This paper presents an overview of GISrntechnology, its impact on various industries, currentrnGIS technology trends, GIS standards, and systemsrnengineering roles and challenges in the field of GIS.rnIt introduces an overview of GIS technology i.e. whatrnis GIS, how does GIS work, and what distinguishesrnGIS from other information systems. GIS is veryrnmuch a multi-disciplinary technology and canrnaccommodate several application areas by integratingrndata from a variety of sources in a detailed andrnefficient manner. The paper discusses the impact ofrnGIS application upon various disciplines e.g.rnBusiness, engineering, political boundariesrnmanagement, transportation, environmentalrnmanagement, natural resources, health care, andrneducation. The development and application ofrngeographic information systems is vibrant andrnexciting. The paper further reviews the existing andrnlatest trends in GIS technology including new datarnsources, hardware and software developments. GISrnis a rapidly growing field and requires an inherentrnneed to have a set of common standards and rules tornsuccessfully complete GIS projects within time andrnbudget. The paper also provides an overview ofrnexisting and future GIS standards and discusses thernroles of various organizations involved in therndevelopment of GIS standards. Many areas in GISrnare systems related and systems engineering can playrna major role in helping GIS industry to be morernproductive and efficient to meet its customer needs.rnGIS technology, however, is relatively new andrnalmost no formal systems engineering processes andrnpractices are being applied. The paper addresses thernmajor challenges faced by Systems Engineering inrnthe development and management of GIS basedrnsystems.