Geographical Information Systems (GIS)

Maps are a very effective tool for resource management. They assist in communication between resource managers, their colleagues and constituents. Maps help resource managers visualize where objects of interest are located, such as a stream. Once the stream is located on a map, resource managers can determine the relationship of identified objects, such as a species of plant, to the stream. Once these occurrences are mapped, the resource manager is able to develop hypotheses such as, "How will the plant react if the stream is redirected?" This type of spatial analysis is possible with the use of maps created by a geographical information system.

A geographical information system (GIS) consists of computer hardware, software and georeferenced data. Georeferenced data corresponds to a place on the surface of the earth. A GIS is capable of inputting, storing, manipulating, analyzing and outputting georeferenced data.

The power of a GIS is its ability to tie attributes about a location to the place it represents on the ground and output maps to display its geographic extent and associated attributes.

Metadata

Metadata is information about a GIS database. It describes several attributes about a particular database. Among those attributes are data quality, data content and data condition. The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) identifies three major uses of metadata. First, metadata helps to organize and maintain an organization's investment in data. Second, it provides information to data clearinghouses. Finally, metadata aids in data transfer.

The creation of metadata is a growing necessity as the amount of digital geospatial data and the number of producers of data increases. Because data development is the most expensive part of a GIS, metadata can help the user decide if an existing data set is useful for a particular GIS analysis