How has GIS evolved from simple mapmaking into a powerful tool for solving complex global and everyday problems?
GIS has come a long way since its inception in the 1960s as an innovative tool for land-use management. Today’s GIS bridges geography and technology, giving resource managers and decision makers the ability to harness geographic data to solve real-world problems.
GIS is just for creating static maps.
Beyond creating maps, GIS is also a tool for analyzing and visualizing data. It helps you find patterns, relationships, and trends that you’d never spot in a spreadsheet. What started as a tool for land-use planning and resource management has grown into a powerhouse of new capabilities and advanced techniques, ranging from 3D visualization to real-time data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI). The evolution of GIS continues to be driven by faster computers, bigger datasets, and new ways to apply GIS across all industries.
Evolving from land-use tracking to spatial data science
GIS didn’t begin with simple mapmaking but was created to solve practical problems. GIS was developed in the 1960s by Roger Tomlinson for Canada’s national land-use inventory. Through his work, Tomlinson pioneered the idea of digitally storing, layering, and analyzing geographic data.
Roger Tomlinson, often called the "father of GIS," developed the Canada Geographic Information System (CGIS) in the 1960s. His groundbreaking work laid the foundation for modern GIS, demonstrating how digital storage and analysis of spatial data could revolutionize land-use planning and resource management.
Since then, GIS has grown into a full-fledged, spatial data science tool. No longer just for tracking land use, GIS enables you to visualize data, analyze trends, and forecast future scenarios. Forestry specialists use GIS to forecast wildfire risks; climate scientists use it to simulate sea level rise; and urban planners use it to analyze urban growth patterns. Government agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations rely on GIS to take on some of today’s biggest challenges, like climate change and disaster response, helping to monitor, predict changes, and deploy resources. GIS even plays a role in some everyday challenges, like helping me figure out where I left my smartphone.
GIS even plays a role in some everyday challenges, like helping me figure out where I left my smartphone.
A system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data, moving beyond simple mapmaking to solve real-world problems.
Consider a problem in your community. How might a 'spatial data science' approach, using GIS, help you understand or address it?
- GIS evolved from a land-use management tool in the 1960s into a powerful spatial data science platform.
- It helps analyze patterns, relationships, and trends, supporting everything from climate science to urban planning.
- Roger Tomlinson pioneered the digital storage and analysis of geographic data.
Collaborating in the cloud
Gone are the days when GIS was stuck on a single desktop computer. Cloud-based GIS has revolutionized storing, analyzing, and sharing geographic data, making it more accessible and collaborative than ever. Instead of relying on one powerful, stand-alone machine, you can tap into the cloud (the vast network of remote computers that store and process data on the internet) to process and share data from anywhere to anywhere.
A geographic information system that leverages a vast network of remote computers on the internet to store, process, analyze, and share geographic data, making it accessible from anywhere at any time.
One of the most widely used GIS cloud platforms is ArcGIS Online, from Esri, which enables you to create, analyze, and share maps entirely in the cloud. Many organizations rely on ArcGIS Online for its integrated suite of tools, spatial data, and ready-to-use apps, making it a go-to solution for professional GIS work.