Geographical Information is a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing things that exist and events that happen on earth. The major components of a GI are: a user interface; system/database management capabilities; database creation/data entry capacity; spatial data manipulationand analysis packages; and display/product generation functions. GIS technology integrates, via the Internet, common database operations such as query and statistical analysis with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps.
These abilities distinguish GIS from other information systems and make it valuable to a wide range of public and private enterprises for explaining events, predictingoutcomes,and planning strategies Public Sector:- Defense: The rapid development of technology has led to advancements that have had a direct impact on the improvement of our military. Weapons have become more effective and the use of satellite imagery has helped reduce the amount of lives lost during conventional warfare Banking and insurance Companies: GI technology provides financial users with insight about their customer’s purchasing habits, financial behavior, and needs for additional products or services. As a result, banks are able to target their best prospects and not misdirect marketing and advertising resources. Power (Electricity Sector): GI can effectively manage information on the distribution of electricity to customers and information describing the attributes of each customer such as location and electricity use. It makes information easily updatable and accurate and hence can cater to the needs of maintaining large power infrastructure Police: In today’s world when there is so much crime all around and police forces need to be very efficient, GI help police department to plan and keep an eye on the crime & criminals. It helps to manage, number of Police Personnel required, starting point for each team / person while on patrolling, direction and length of path for each team.
Telecom: GI systems within Telecom utilities can provide facilities for fault tracking, customer care, Planning and efficient management of a large distributive network and more importantly provide a framework for better integration and analysis of relevant facility information derived from several sources in graphics environment. Commercial Sector: Retail market and Distribution: It provides real world picture like which areas of the city are more than 2 km from any shop selling my products? How many households does a particular shop serve? What is average household income in the areas that this shop serves? What routeshouldmy distribution trucks take to minimize delivery cost and time? Arts and Culture: It allows people to view the geographic location of arts and craft facilities using a web based Geographic Information People in the arts and craft industry are also able to add new facilities and associated information to the database as well as update any information linked to any of the existing arts and craft facilities in the database. Navigation: One of the major roles of Geographical Information is in the field of navigation. Today navigation systems are being used in many fields like car navigation, GPS, mountaineering and even in mobile technology.
Communication: all most all the Mobile companies are using it for better customer service and to track technical details like fault, distribution, nodes and network planning. Construction and Engineering: maintaining progressandplanningin construction made easy by its usage. Other engineering industries like urban planning, engineering, municipalmanagementandenvironmental engineering using Geographical Information at great extend. Principles to guide Pricing Policy for the Distribution: The aim of the project was to develop a deeper understanding of the key issues and actors affecting the wider use of GI in Europe and articulate a strategy to promote such wider use that is consistent with major policy and technological developments at the European and international level. GINIE is a project funded by the Information Society Technologies Programme of the European Union with the purpose of developing a cohesive Geographic Information Strategy at the European level. Close attention has been paid to the role of GI in supporting European policies with a strong spatial impact (agriculture,regionalpolicy,transport,environment),e- government, the re-use of Public Sector Information, and the recent initiative to develop an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE) .
GINIE project recognize that: Geographic Information is an important asset the use of which should be maximized for the benefit of citizens, governance and commerce. Main policy context are telecommunication policy, public sector information policy, E-Government, Environment policy. – Set of rules and standards for collecting and exchanging G.I easily accessible within European boundaries. – Common Development of a European G.I infrastructure to support G.I technologies and interoperability. – Establishing an Advisory Board for Geographic Information (ABGI) to help – Demands for greater openness, transparency, and accountability.
The increasing concerns for sustainable development. – The demands arising from emergency planning and national security. – The expansion of the European Union (EU).
