Degree of Master of

GIS technologies

1. Definition

Nowadays, Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies are widely used in various domains, such as cartography and geodesy, social and environmental sciences, urban planning, business and management sectors and others.
Currently, there are numerous definitions of GIS, but none of which explain it accurately and sufficiently. GIS incorporates three main aspects of modern world, i.e. geography, information, system, and offers new advanced methods of using them (Davis 2001). A typical GIS can be understood by the help of various definitions given below.
Steinberg considers definition of GIS in its simplest form pointing out that “GIS is a system designed to store, manipulate, analyze, and output map-based, or spatial, information” (Steinberg 2006). Davis defines GIS as “a computer-based technology and methodology for collecting, managing, analyzing, modeling and presenting geographic data for a wide range of application” (Davis 2001). Burrough considers GIS as, “set of tools for collecting, storing, retrieving at will, transforming and displaying spatial data from the real world for a particular set of purposes” (Burrough 1986).
Tomlinson gives an interesting definition of GIS explaining that GIS is “a particularly horizontal technology in the sense that it has wide-ranging applications across the industrial and intellectual landscape” (Tomlinson 2007). Longley indicates that GIS is a special class of information system which “keep track not only of events and activities, but also of where these events of activities happen or exist” (Longley, Goodchild et al. 2005). Arnoff defines GIS as, "a computer based system that provides four sets of capabilities to handle geo- referenced data: data input, data management (data storage and retrieval), manipulation and analysis, and data output” (Arnoff 1989). The definition provided by Arnoff contains a certain number of the important GIS functions. A full list of GIS functions is present in the next subsection.

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