The list of uses and benefits of GIS that appears on page 7 of the GIS Book (5th Edition) gives many potential uses, but overlooks two essential areas -- military uses and consumer buying habits. The military uses are probably the main driving force behind the expenditures on GIS Software and Hardware. The possible reason why this is not emphasized is that military uses donÆt seem positive. For instance, it would be possible to pool all of the available data concerning Iraq or Afghanistan and to determine the movements of the enemy and the movements of the military and to predict future movements.
Such action and activity are available now and the information is probably buried in the pounds and pounds of documents that have been gathered, for instance, by the CIA or the NSA. The use of GIS software would let new levels of spatial understanding be developed from a wide variety of existing government systems - from databases and legacy applications to wireless solutions.
Every agency stores data related to location, whether it be related to customer data, health information, or even shipping routes. Although database and data mining technology enable users to sort through information in any number of ways, its greatest weakness remains its relative inability to extrapolate data based on area or location. That includes making use of specific data such as area codes, postal/zip codes and addresses.
This is the area of GIS where more consumer information will be enhanced with GIS. With the easily available software, for instance, and a database of customers, businesses of any size can organize their location data using a common reference system, enabling them to do location- specific searches or render maps. This way, a business could even map where the next trend is likely to emerge.
Both businesses and the Military would be able to index and organize its spatial data and establish essential links between and amon...