Geographic Information Systems (GIS) make it possible to visualize and work with multiple layers and sources of information at once. A GIS user can capture, organize, store, analyze and map layers of information about a particular place. As a result, they can, often for the first time, track patterns, visualize connections and base decisions on more in-depth information than ever before.

GIS is a powerful tool precisely because it enables us to work with so much information at once and displays it so well. Multi-layering of information helps identify interrelationships that were previously unknown or misunderstood. Then, GIS takes that information and communicates results in a visual form, one that everyone can see and understand.

When it comes to natural resources and land use, GIS is an ideal technology to track the human impacts on natural resources. For example, GIS can help communities establish and protect their land claims, identify protected areas, track biodiversity threats, and better inform a more sustainable process of development at community, regional and national levels. Governments and businesses regularly employ GIS to inform decisions that impact us all, using GIS to provide services, locate stores and factories, design marketing strategies, to find and extract resources and more.