What is GIS?  G eographical I nformation S ystems  Formally started in the 60’s, although probably manually before this  late 80’s and the 90’s GIS gained momentum  Decreased cost of computers  Increasingly user friendly software  Availability of spatial data  Improvement of complimentary technologies – remote sensing, GPS  Appearance of formalized GIS training

What is GIS?  GIS is a very large and multidisciplinary field  An all encompassing definition of GIS is difficult to form.  To help us better what GIS is we need to break it down….

The ‘G’ of GIS  Geographic(al) indicates that we are dealing with data that is spatial in nature  That is data that has a coordinate associated with it, usually geographic

The ‘I’ of GIS  Identifies that we have some sort of data component involved  Spatial data – where things are  Attribute data – about what is there Hydrant_ID: A01245 Flow: 35m 3 /sec. Diameter: 2 In.

The ‘S’ of GIS  Implies there are multiple components linked to each other  To be successful all components must be in place Users DataComputers SoftwareKnowledge GIS

Functions of GIS  GIS is used to…  Capture  Storage  Manipulation  Retrieval  Analysis  Display  This is only possible with trained people!  GIS is not…  GPS  Just map making  Software Spatial Data

City of Brandon An ownership layer was developed with the boundaries for every parcel of land within the city limits. This ownership layer is used for a number of practical applications, including: Taxation assessment Land use planning purposes Building permit applications

Manitoba Conservation  Aerial survey recorded GPS coordinates for deer, elk and moose sightings in the Spruce Woods area.  Locations then entered into a GIS to help analyze and organize migration patterns of large game found in the area.

Manitoba Hydro  Providing a reliable electricity source is critical in the potentially frigid Manitoban environment  Manitoba Hydro uses GIS to help pinpoint causes of power failures and quickly restore service to their customers.

Manitoba Water Conservation Districts  Throughout Manitoba water conservation districts are using GIS to better manage their watersheds, including:  Soil erosion models  Waterfowl capacities  Ground water models  Surface water run-off potential

Manitoba Land Initiative The Manitoba Land Initiative Web site is the source for geo-spatial information from the Government of Manitoba. With the creation of this free website available to all, the field of GIS will only continue to grow in Manitoba