Geographic information system is in integrated computer system by which geographical information is systematically collected, stored, analyzed and displayed in the form of maps
A GIS is a computer system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present a variety of spatial and geographical data. This computer system is very important especially when it comes to planning. It has been used in a variety of industries to help in planning and monitoring. We take a look at some of its importance in the space of planning.
1. Telecom and network services: GIS plays an extremely important role in the telecoms and network services. It is used in planning, collecting, analyzing and storing the complex network designs that are needed to come up with a working architecture in the field of telecoms.
2. Urban planning: Urban planning is one of the most important uses of GIS in planning. It can be used to analyze the urban growth and its direction during expansion. This data can then be used to scale up the growth of the urban area and help avoid chaos that might be caused by congestion.
3. Transportation planning: GIS also comes in handy in the area of transportation. This is done especially where new transportation facilities need to be developed within an already congested city. GIS can be used to map out the areas where the facilities will be built so as to avoid congestion.
4. Environmental impact analysis: GIS plays an important role in the environmental impact analysis process. After the analysis, the data in GIS can then be used to inform policy that will be used to plan an area to reduce the human effects on the land which causes environmental degradation.
5. Agricultural planning: GIS plays an important role in agricultural planning. GIS can be used to provide information that can be used to plan what crops need to be grown in what areas of the farm depending on the soil structure and soil composition.
6. Land use planning: Land use planning will depend on the information provided by GIS in deciding which part of the land should be subjected to what land use. It becomes easier to know what crops will thrive on what part of the land and this helps in improving yields.
7. Surveying: GIS provides information about land that can be used during land surveying to determine the vastness of the land and the nature of the soil and the soil structure within the area. This also plays an important role in deciding what use the land will be put to.
8. Community development: GIS stores data that can be relevant in community development. The data can provide insights that can help inform the planning of the community land based on the needs of the community.