Introduction to Geographic Information Systems in Forest Resources
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Definitions of GIS

Several working definitions of GIS have been proposed. Nearly all definitions focus on data, users, software, hardware, and methods or a purpose. Before examining some common definitions, we should look at what the words themselves mean (according to the Oxford English Dictionary):

geography.

  1. The science which has for its object the description of the earth's surface, treating of its form and physical features, its natural and political divisions, the climate, productions, population, etc., of the various countries. It is frequently divided into mathematical, physical, and political geography.

information.

    1. The action of informing; formation or moulding of the mind or character, training, instruction, teaching; communication of instructive knowledge.
    2. The action of informing; communication of the knowledge or `news' of some fact or occurrence; the action of telling or fact of being told of something.
    3. Knowledge communicated concerning some particular fact, subject, or event; that of which one is apprised or told; intelligence, news. spec. contrasted with data.

system.

  1. An organized or connected group of objects.
    1. A set or assemblage of things connected, associated, or interdependent, so as to form a complex unity; a whole composed of parts in orderly arrangement according to some scheme or plan; rarely applied to a simple or small assemblage of things (nearly = `group' or `set').

In this context, a geographic information system is a complex arrangement of associated or connected things or objects, whose purpose is to communicate knowledge about features on the surface of the earth. We can expand the definition of this to include features above and below the surface of the earth.


Here are some other definitions:

 

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