Public Access to Environmental Data via GIS and the Web

摘要

Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, has been an extremely useful data integration, management, analysis, and presentation tool for environmental data for more than a decade now. Its use is mature. However, delivering the finished products (generally maps with annotation) to a broad audience has been difficult and costly. Contributing factors included cataloging and communicating map availability, printing, warehousing, and order handling. The World Wide Web has changed this -- maps can now be delivered electronically anywhere in the world automatically. Cataloging is simplified and the "catalog" is easily discovered; communication is instantaneous; and printing, warehousing, and handling are eliminated.