How does GIS help us make better decisions?
GIS allow students, researchers, and professionals to incorporate a spatial quality to their projects. Consider this example: a spreadsheet (like Excel files) or a relational databases (such as a Microsoft Access file) might list a number of customer addresses. While this information is valuable, by itself it is hard to discern patterns, locational relationships and other geographic qualities (such as “how many of these addresses are in my market study area?”). However, in a GIS, the customer locations can be linked to points on a map. After doing so, the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” really becomes true! Now that the customers are shown on a map, locational relationships are revealed and more in-depth analysis can take place. In short, then, a GIS links information about where things are with information about what things are like. < (Coffee shops in San Francisco and neighborhoods. Source: Online research by Rick Kos and Mono Simeone; SFGIS - Planning Neighborhoods) Ano
