What is GIS?

The acronym itself stands for Geographic Information Systems; however no one, single definition of GIS exists. GIS is hard to define- why? With applications spanning industry, government and academia, and with adherents in nearly every field, the scope of GIS is boundless. A simplistic definition is that a geographic information system synthesizes both hardware, and software, for the purposes of capturing, managing, analyzing and visualizing spatial data. Datasets from wide-ranging sources can be integrated into a GIS, stored in a spatial database, and viewed in GIS software. The overlay of disparate datasets often reveals spatial patterns, relationships and trends which are difficult to achieve through other means. A GIS allows us to ask questions of our data, and leverage the latent knowledge which GIS is capable of exposing.

A common thread that runs across the multidisciplinary landscape of GIS, is that GIS is a powerful problem-solver. It allows you to do things you can’t do otherwise. More and more, the ability to instantly visualize and communicate location analytics, and to understand problems from a spatial perspective, is critical to support improved decision making. Through GIS, spatial relationships are put at center-focus and are often so powerful, that geography is becoming a principle of organization. The management of data and assets through a geographic approach is rapidly changing the way business is done.

What can Earthbound Geospatial do?

Earthbound Geospatial can help you to identify information products that can support improved decision making within your organization. Whether you need to access GIS information products on your desktop, over the web, or in real-time, we are focused on the fusion of data sources and technologies to develop new, value-added geospatial solutions.