INTRODUCTION - Definition of Geographic Information Systems - Evolution of the Geographic Information Systems - Applications of GIS in various organizations. GENERAL USE OF GIS AND ITS APPLICATIONS FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT A. General Use of GIS - GIS can compile maps, satellites, surveys, and aerial photos; retrieve and manipulate these data; analyze spatial statistics; and report maps and plans relative to this information (Foote and Lynch 2006). B. Benefits of GIS for the Local Government - Municipal and local state offices as well as federal agencies are constantly concerned with land-related decisions pertaining to real property, infrastructure development and land use; community crimes; inadequate transportation; environmental pollution; and updates in geographic information. The collation and storage of these data can be effectively managed through the Geographic Information Systems (Ventura 1995, pp. 461-467). C. The Use of GIS in Information Integration and Analysis at the Local Authorities - GIS application in the local government starts with the establishment of a centralized database which includes data regarding the locality such as housing locations, service facilities, and road networks as well as various information from the engineering, finance, business, and public services sectors (Wilson 1995, p.1). - The primary notion of GIS application in the local government is the requirement that local government agencies from the different counties and municipalities will make their geographic information freely available to government offices at the regional, state and federal levels in a process called "vertical integration" (Wilson 1995, p.1). - Local authorities employ two database models in the analysis of data gathered from the GIS: raster GIS which divides the world into a series of pixels or cells, and vector GIS which portray the world as a series of nodes, lines and areas. Either of the models perform spatial processes such as address matching (relating data from separate sources through street address or zip codes), buffering (the development of new areas in relation to areas in the vector GIS), and overlays (combination of two or more data and enforcement of planar) in data analysis (Harvey 2003, p. 28). CONCLUSION - GIS is very useful in the local government as the primary point of access for judicial needs of the citizens. - The local government makes use of GIS to arrange and store data relative to road networks, housing locations and other community details to ensure convenient and easy access to information in cases that the community needs it. - GIS entails coordination as local governments are required to coordinate with state and federal offices for integration of geographical information. |
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