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Whether you're a geologist or geo-cacher, there's little question that Geographic Information Systems (GIS) engineering continues to advance - the demand for quality and accuracy in such products has increased exponentially.
GIS software is now being implemented on a number of different fronts to satisfy business requirements of organizations ranging from NASA and OnStar to emergency and corporate transportation services at local, state, national and international levels. But what is it really all about, and how do we narrow it down in understanding what GIS truly is? These questions may not be easy to quantify.
In its infancy, GIS engineering had a very narrow scope and purpose to achieve; predominantly that of terrain mapping software and residential, commercial, and industrial addressing. Now its applications are enormous. GIS systems are being implemented to encompass such functions as:
- Interfacing with radar technologies used by military industries
- Structuring and mapping electronic communications over a terrain
- Conversion of map images to numerical data
- Building spatial topologies
- Weather tracking
- Roadway navigation
- Virtual terrain simulation
The list continues but you get the idea. The point here is that the development of GIS engineering software still relies upon a comprehensive requirements analysis of the core business objectives of customers, and a thorough understanding of its applications. Certainly, it is not cost effective for software development firms to attempt to provide enterprise business-class solutions in this area; no organization could employ enough experts for the effort.
Getting the lay of the land on GIS projects before committing to production demands is still the surest way to "stay grounded" in your development efforts.
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