What is GIS?

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) display, manipulate, and analyse geographic information using a combination of hardware, software, personnel and data.

GIS can be used to visulise data from databases, allowing easier interpretation of that data.

What is not GIS?

• Global Positioning System (GPS) - GPS can be used to capture data for use in GIS.

• Static Maps - Usually either hardcopy (e.g. paper) or digital maps (e.g. PDF). Static maps are a common output from a GIS.
  A range of static maps relating to Waimate District are available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format on our downloads page.

• Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) - CAD primarily deals with large-scale models (but relatively small in size), generally without maintaining attributes and geographic coordinates systems. GIS deals more with smaller scale models (but very large in size), maintains attributes and a variety of different geographic coordinate systems. The differences between GIS and CAD are narrowing.

How does Waimate District Council use GIS?

Waimate District Council utilises a MapInfo based GIS to help carry out its corporate functions.

• GIS is used to create, manage and analyse planning and regulatory information (Building Consents, Resource Consents, Subdivisions, Hazard Information, Dogs, etc).

• In addition GIS is used to create, manage and analyse Utilites information (Sewer, Stormwater and Water infrastructure). It is a key tool for Utilities Asset Management.

How does GIS work?

A GIS combines layers of information about a location to give you a better understanding of that location.

GIS can be used to solve real-world problems including:

• verifying location

• creating planning models

• monitoring environmental conditions

• routing and tracking vehicles

Tools for map display, query, geometric processing, or analysis are built into GIS software packages which can be tailored for specific needs.

GIS data most commonly exists in one of two formats: vector or raster.

• Vector data consists of discrete features such as points (manholes), lines (roads), or polygons (parcel boundaries).

• Raster data consists of continuous data made up of pixels (Aerial Photography).

Learn more about GIS

If you want to learn more about GIS, click on this link to Wikipedia GIS