“Our world is evolving without consideration, and the result is a loss of biodiversity, energy issues, congestion in cities. But geography, if used correctly, can be used to redesign sustainable and more livable cities.” Jack Dangermond. GIS plays an important role in the world today, with the stories told from maps, about global warming and biodiversity, the world is now able to track the spread of epidemics and make a difference. Even though its primary function is to provide a visual representation of data in a mapped format, it has positively impacted how people live today. GIS is changing businesses, local governments, natural resources, and the world at large.  

If you have never had an interest in GIS or never heard of it before, you might be wondering why you’d need it or what you’d do with it. Whether maps are used to map your geographic area, visualize boundaries, or define the quickest accessible road to the nearest health center, GIS-based maps are the best way to tell your story in a clear and interactive manner. 

Here are some benefits of GIS: 

• Better decision making 

Geographic information helps governments and businesses to make better decisions. For example, understanding the demographics of a prospective location for a retail store will help a business in deciding if the place is fit to open a store. Governments will also get to decide the schedule and scope of potential replacement projects, allowing areas that are in dire need of government projects the priority. With GIS, businesses can now create marketing strategies, experiment with communication mediums, and launch marketing campaigns. Government may also use GIS for urban planning, environmental conservation, and natural resource conservation. 

• It’s a better method of recording geographic data 

GIS aids in the preservation of vital geographical data and records of old and new changes in various regions. For example, when a government oversees geographical accounting, such as population censuses, land ownership, and administrative boundaries, GIS is required to keep these records up to date. Uploading all relevant information into organized files allows future programmers to consider previous work. It also allows for greater consistency in notation, which is often lost when a project is passed between developers or worked on by multiple people. GIS can also help in keeping track of forest inventories, biological inventories, and environmental measurements.  

• Improved communication 

Companies can now use visual map data to help them tell stories and better understand situations. As a result, communication between departments and professional fields improves. Firms can provide better solutions to their clients and gradually increase their clientele with detailed GIS insights. Furthermore, businesses can identify their top clients and use spatial issues to identify regional areas where similar census apply to focus on industry development. 

• Lowers operational costs 

GIS not only helps businesses improve their functional performance, but it also helps them save money. With the help of GIS, they can improve and control their operational tasks, as well as reconfigure company procedures. Organizations can improve tracking of their daily fleet activities and maintenance schedules, saving money on operational expenses, employee time, and efficient scheduling. 

• Displays information in a clean and clear manner 

Intuitive, clear displays are extremely useful in decision making process. Geospatial resources enable you to evaluate information based on its location and visualize the results in easily recognized maps, significantly increasing the value and utility of that information. GIS allows you to display all the data layers you require at once in a clean format. It provides a single solution that performs multiple tasks at once and combines the results to transform data from various sources into efficient, workable information.  

You can now purchase our ArcGIS products online from our E-Store, https://ea-store.esri.com/en-ke/store/overview.