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GIS.com Provides a Wealth of InformationGIS.com, an educational site and jumping station for anyone interested in mapping and GIS, debuted in June. GIS.com has information for everyone, regardless of their knowledge of GIS. Those new to the technology can find information on what GIS is and how it can be used. Novice users will find a number of resources to help them advance their mastery of the technology. GIS professionals will find many resources to assist in their endeavors. The need for this one-stop source of information and resources has come from the exponential growth in GIS technology over the last few decades. In the early 1980s, there were several hundred people using GIS technology. Today there are at least one million GIS users, and by the end of this decade there will be tens of millions. This growth can be attributed to improvements in computing power, databases, measuring technologies, and GIS software. The biggest change has been in networking technologies—the Internet in particular. What's emerging is a societal GIS, an electronic web of geographic information that anyone can access. GIS.com will have a mix of editorial content, educational resources, online resources, and materials available for purchase. Major sections of the site will include a section discussing GIS technology and its applications, explanations of different software from a variety of vendors, GIS case studies for various industries, a virtual library, and more. The convergence of GIS and the Internet has changed mapmaking forever. Once painstakingly produced by mechanical means, detailed maps can now be generated on demand from huge databases of spatial information and transmitted instantly across the globe. Suddenly GIS, until recently a specialized tool of scientists and city planners, is dispensing all manner of geographic information to an enthusiastic audience. GIS.com will lead the way in providing the information, technology, and data necessary to serve this audience. |
With its wealth of information and resources, GIS.com aims to become the Internet source for those interested in GIS as a technology and a profession.