October 7, 2009

To move up the future if geographic information systems (GIS) and how it can be maximized especially in difficult economic conditions and through environmental challenges in the Philippines is top priority as the 9^th Philippines 2009 ESRI GIS User Conference commences at the Crown Plaza Galleria Manila in Ortigas.

Spearheaded by Geodata Systems Technologies Inc., the exclusive distributor of ESRI ArcGIS software in the Philippines, the two-day event themes GIS: Designing Out Future focuses on how GIS can help build, connect and move organizations today and most especially in the future through key plenary sessions, extensive track sessions and product exhibitions.

According to Francisca Nasol-Dayrit, executive vice president of Geodata Systems, GIS solutions has now become most critical especially with the many economic and environmental challenges the country is going through.

“GIS in itself is already a vital and critical factor in location intelligance,” shares Dayrit. “Combine this tool with the readily available resources like the Internet and stable communications systems, it becomes even more useful, even powerful.”

Citing the recent crisis when typhoon Ondoy took major cities and provinces underwater in just a day, Dayrit said that GIS was the main toool in location intelligance. “An ordinary map is no longer enough. A GIS-generated map has many layers of critical information-information that could possibly save communities, save lives.”

GIS is basically a computer software that links geographic data with descriptive information. It is very different from the ordinary map mainly because it can integrate geo-reference imagery such as data layers or themes that can be linked to other data sets to produce geospatial representations of data.

“These geographical pictures do not only depict topographical boundaries, but they also offer special insight to planners across many disciplines such as health, agriculture, defense, city management, natural resources, telecommunications and transportation,” added Dayrit. “Wherever people can imagine that needs mapping, GIS can help.”

Mapping The Future
Apart from location intelligence, GIS is also key in anticipating future outcomes by depicting regression analysis for forecasting future events and processes. These studies may include drought repercussions in wildlife, dam influences on urban and agrarian economies, the spread of communicable diseases and impact of population growth on a township’s economic development.

“The ability of GIS to manage, correlate, predict, model and share geographic information makes GIS an essential analytical tool,” said Dayrit. “With the future upon us, we are developing more ways to make GIS more extensive and more useful not just to our stakeholders “