USC Dornsife Spatial Sciences Institute

GIS Technology Articles

The Application of GIS Technology for Nonprofit Organizations

With each passing year, Geographic Information Science (GIS) technology offers new insights for businesses and organizations. From using geospatial analytics to analyze crime, to the development of drones, GIS technology offers seemingly endless opportunities for growth and innovation. One of the key areas where GIS has become an invaluable resource …

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How GIS Has Evolved in the Digital Age

Digital cartography and GIS have had an impactful history in developing our understanding of the world; as GPS World editor Janice Partyka noted, some of the first digital maps were created by the U.S. Census Bureau, which used GIS and digital mapping to better understand population trends within specific Census …

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How Mapping Is Used by NASA & Applications of GIS in Space

When we think of the tools involved in exploring outer space, images of astronauts collecting mineral samples on the moon may come to mind. However, scientists also depend on more remote methods to deepen our knowledge of the solar system and the universe beyond, like those offered by geographic information …

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GIS and the Cloud: How They Work Together

Cloud computing has been one of the dominant trends regarding accessing computing resources such as processing, storage and software. While some have considered that geographic information science (GIS) as a discipline was a late adopter of the cloud, the convergence of GIS technology with cloud computing has had a profound …

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The State of Modern Cartography

The application of Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) continues to grow as a global research tool for understanding the world around us. Cartography, the process of making maps, has benefited greatly from advancements in GIS technology in recent years. The number of students earning degrees in cartography has risen 40% in …

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The Importance of Geospatial Leadership in a Changing World

We’ve previously explored the importance of geospatial technology in a wide range of industries, from health and human services to banking to supply chain management. It is no secret that geospatial technology plays an increasingly critical role in not only how we understand our world, but how we interact with …

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The Many Applications of GIS

Tweet While maps and cartography was once limited to a handful of uses, geographic information systems (GIS) and geographic science spans nearly every field. GIS, which uses the science of geography plus many types of data to reveal insights and patterns that help people make better decisions, is used in …

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How Local and Federal Government Use GIS

Geographic information science and technology have a long history with both federal and regional government. In fact, the Library of Congress contains the world’s most comprehensive collection of maps, and geospatial intelligence has played a vital role in resolving numerous historical conflicts between nations. But how does the government use …

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Spatial Data Acquisition and GIST

It’s no secret that geographic information science (GIS) is a data-intensive discipline. The huge volumes of spatial information available today have created new challenges as well as opportunities for GIS leaders. Today, we wanted to examine spatial data acquisition more specifically, with questions such as: What techniques are available for …

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