GIS Manages Geographic Information Sets

GIS manages, analyzes, and displays geographic knowledge, which is represented using a series of information sets. These information sets can include:

Maps and Globes

Interactive views of geographic data with which to answer many questions, to present results, and to use as a dashboard for real work. Maps and globes provide advanced GIS applications for interacting with geographic data.

Geographic Datasets

File bases and databases of geographic information—features, networks, topologies, terrains, surveys, and attributes.

Processing and Workflow Models

Collections of geoprocessing procedures for automating and repeating numerous tasks that perform analysis.

Data Models

GIS datasets are more than RDBMS tables. They incorporate advanced behavior and integrity like other information systems. Data models—the schema, behavior, and integrity rules of geographic datasets—play a critical role in GIS.

Metadata

Documents describing the specifications and properties of the data. A document catalog enables users to organize, discover, and gain access to shared geographic knowledge.