WELCOME TO THE GIS DIVISION

GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems. A GIS is a computer-based set of hardware and software used to capture, store, analyze, manipulate, and visualize spatial information. GIS data is generally represented by discrete vector objects or continuous raster graphics. Discrete vector objects have distinct x, y, and z coordinates and are represented by points, lines, or polygons. Examples might include addresses (points), road centerlines (lines), or tax parcels (polygons). Continuous raster graphics represent spatial data which contain a series of equally spaced and sized grid cells, such as pixels. Examples of raster data might include various remotely sensed data, such as aerial imagery or digital elevation data models, which are digital representations of the terrain surface.

Every GIS feature (point, line, or polygon) has non-spatial data, commonly referred to as attribute data, that is associated with each spatial location. Attribute data can be thought of as a spreadsheet or table of information that is geographically tied to an x, y, z location. The spatial location of a feature coupled with its attribute data forms a robust dataset of information that can be used to analyze and visualize GIS data.