GIS stands for Geographic Information System. A geographic information system enables us to transform geographical data into actionable information. GIS benefits nearly every industry, as it can answer many different spatial questions and help solve problems related to geographical location.
• How many cancer patients are there in Los Angeles, and are they more concentrated in one area versus another?
• Where is the nearest river to “Subdivision A”?
• Where are the volcanoes located on “Island X”, and where are the emergency shelters located in relation to the volcanoes?
These are very simple questions that GIS can answer because it can acquire and visualize geographical information.
I’m currently working through Esri’s free course for beginners called Getting Started with GIS, and I’m using ArcGIS Online since I do not yet have the desktop program.