Natural Resources

Oil and gas exploration, hydrology harnessing, timber management, and mining operations require sound assessment to steer growth into areas that can support it while preventing contamination of rivers or destruction of resources. The delicate balance between industrial development and environmental conservation requires sophisticated modeling and spatial analytical tools. Companies and organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Protection Agency, Borax, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife, rely on GIS for resource analysis.

Agriculture

GIS provides the analytical capabilities that form the hub of a successful precision agriculture system. GIS lets farmers perform site-specific spatial analyses of agronomic data. The United States Department of Agriculture uses GIS to map a nation's farms not only by property lines but also by crop and yield. A farmer uses GIS to forecast crop yields and determine fertilizer spread.Learn more.

Forestry

Ireland's forestry service, Coillte Teoranta, uses GIS as a key component in managing its timber resources and maintaining sustainable forest management. Coillte Teoranta leverages GIS functionality for applications as diverse as land valuation, timber market analysis, harvest route planning, and landscape visualization.Learn more.

Mining

Terrain and ore body modeling, exploration, drilling, mine planning, reclamation, and rehabilitation are important digital mapping elements in mining. The Kaiser Jamaica Bauxite Company creates GIS-based mine planning and operations applications.Learn more.

Oil and Gas

Where to drill, route a pipeline, or build a refinery are all questions that rely heavily on an understanding of geography. Chevron relies on GIS for resource analysis.
Learn about GIS for Petroleum.
Learn about GIS for Pipeline.