What is GIS?
Geographic information system (GIS) is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographical data. The acronym GIS is sometimes used for geographical information science or geospatial information studies to refer to the academic discipline or career of working with geographic information systems.[1] In the simplest terms, GIS is the merging of cartography, statistical analysis, and database technology.
A GIS can be thought of as a system—it digitally creates and "manipulates" spatial areas that may be jurisdictional, purpose, or application-oriented. Generally, a GIS is custom-designed for an organization. Hence, a GIS developed for an application, jurisdiction, enterprise, or purpose may not be necessarily interoperable or compatible with a GIS that has been developed for some other application, jurisdiction, enterprise, or purpose. What goes beyond a GIS is a spatial data infrastructure, a concept that has no such restrictive boundaries.
In a general sense, the term describes any information system that integrates, stores, edits, analyzes, shares, and displays geographic information for informing decision making. GIS applications are tools that allow users to create interactive queries (user-created searches), analyze spatial information, edit data in maps, and present the results of all these operations.[2] Geographic information science is the science underlying geographic concepts, applications, and systems.[3]
GIS Source Definition from Wikipedia.com
GIS Education Resources
Following are a collection of links gathered by various IMAGIN members in an effort to share with you from the community of GIS knowledge. While IMAGIN makes every attempt to review content, the links that follow here are for reference and the content contained on these links may not reflect the views of IMAGIN.
Join the Geospatial Revolution!
GIS Education Links
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Join the Geospatial Revolution
- Episode 1
- Join the Geospatial Revolution - Episode 2
- Join the Geospatial Revolution - Episode 3
- Join the Geospatial Revolution - Episode 4
- Aerial Survey Pioneers
- Geospatial Intelligence in WWII
- The Role of Women in the History of Photogrammetry
- Evolution of Analog to Digital Mapping
- Photogrammetry in Space Exploration
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What Is GIS and How Can It Help Me
Links for GIS Practationers
Resume Bank
Looking for employment? Post your resume on the IMAGIN Resume Bank and get noticed. Resumes will be posted for 6 months.
Send your resume to website@imagin.org .
| Title | Post Date | Post Until |
|---|---|---|
| John Gross | 9-14-12 | 3-31-13 |
Job Opportunities
Job opportunities from IMAGIN members and others from around the state.
If you would like to post a job opportunity, please e-mail all related information to website@imagin.org.
| Title | Post Date | Post Until |
|---|---|---|
|
GIS Analyst DTE Energy |
2/12/2013 | Until Filled |
|
Temporary Student - Special Projects CAD/GIS-03785 DTE Energy |
10-17-2011 | Until Filled |
Training Opportunities
Several IMAGIN organizations and others offer GIS training through out the state. When notified, IMAGIN will post training opportunities on this page. Additionally, other classes and training opportunities may be listed on the websites listed below.
To submit another organization that offers training, please e-mail website@imagin.org.
Organizations Offering GIS Training in Michigan
- Center for Statistical Consultation and Research (CSCAR)
- Training Location: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- Website: http://www.umich.edu/~cscar/gis/
- Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)
- Training Location: Michigan State University, East Lansing and Livonia
- Website: http://www.esri.com/
- InfoGeographics, Inc.
- Training Location: Traverse City
- Website: http://www.infogeographics.com
- Institute for Geospatial Research and Education (IGRE)
- Training Location: Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti
- Website: http://ceita.acad.emich.edu/
- Land Information Access Association (LIAA)
- Training Location: Traverse City
- Website: http://www.liaa.org/
- Remote Sensing & GIS Research and Outreach Services (RS&GIS)
- Training Location: Michigan State University, East Lansing
- Website: http://www.rsgis.msu.edu/
White Papers and Presentations
This section of our website is new and under development. Come back soon to view strategic GIS white papers and presentations.
Request for Proposals - Active RFP's and RFP Samples
Request for Proposals Template (.doc file, 585 kb)
Courtesy of Nikki White, Land Applications Supervisor Oakland County, MI
If you know of or would like to submit a RFP, please e-mail website@imagin.org.
IMAGIN News
| Year | Issues | Main Story |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Issue 2 - Spring | Satellite Image Observations for Landcover at GOES |
| Issue 1 - Winter | Leveraging the RDBMS within the Geodatabase | |
| 2008 | Issue 4 - Fall | Economic Development & GIS: A New Economy Embracing New Technologies |
| Issue 3 - Summer | Another successful conference has been wrapped up! | |
| Issue 2 - Spring | Tech Tips for Dynamic Websites | |
| Issue 1 - Winter | Automating GIS: Managing Mundane Data Processes in Less Time | |
| 2007 | November/December | In Search of an Assessing Tool to Quantify the Effects of Location on Value - GIS Response Surface Analysis |
| September/October | Do You Know Where Your Registered Sex Offenders and Parolees Are? | |
| July/August | 2007 Conference | |
| May/June | Rare Species Models for Land Use Planning | |
| March/April | Wikis: Free Collaborative Software | |
| January/February | Lower Cost Ideas for Building an Enterprise GIS | |
| 2006 | November/December | Digital Imagery: What is it and how can it be used. |
| September/October | Snapshot - A Primer on Metric Oblique Digital Aerial Technology for GIS | |
| July/August | 2006 Conference Celebrates Community Impact | |
| May/June | Geography + Technology + The Great Outdoors = Geocaching |
|
| March/April | A True Geospatial One-Stop: What's in it for us? | |
| January/February | Resistance of the Medium | |
| 2005 | November/December | Location, Location, Location GIS provides the answers |
| September/October | GIS Site Assessment for Sand Dune Management | |
| July/August | 2005 Conference a Resounding Success! | |
| May/June | The State Orthoimagery Program | |
| March/April | The Great Gatsby (GASB 34) | |
| January/February | Building an Addressable Street Centerline Layer for E911 | |
| 2004 | November/December | Taking the Strain Out of Mapping Drain District Parcels |
| September/October | A Framework for Geographic Information: Oakland County's Remonumentation Project | |
| July/August | 2004 Conference a Resounding Success! | |
| May/June | GIS as a Career: A Rosy Future? | |
| March/April | Intranet Development with an Eye on the WWW | |
| January/February | Markup Languages Can Make One's Geographic Web-Life Easier | |
| 2003 | November/December | From Data to Ducks |
| September/October | Is it time for the United States to create a National Office of Geospatial Data Management? | |
| July/August | IMAGIN Forum 2003 | |
| May/June | Grants for Local Government GIS | |
| March/April | The Assessor's Database - Why it Must Change for GIS Success! | |
| January/February | The Challenges and Rewards of Discussing GIS Standards | |
| 2002 | November/December | Is Migration for the Birds? A Tale of Two Datasets |
| September/October | National Hydrography Dataset | |
| July/August | Conference 2002; Geography on the Move | |
| May/June | GIS Gains Momentum in Michigan | |
| March/April | GIS and Emergency Management | |
| January/February | Accelerating ArcSDE | |
| 2001 | November/December | IMAGIN Conference 2002: Geography on the Move |
| September/October | The Long and Winding Road in Developing a Multiple Address Application in Grand Traverse County | |
| August/September | Economic Development and GIS; Muskegon’s Experience | |
| June/July | LIDAR Brings New Mapping Benefits to Great Lakes Region | |
| May | Merging Internet Mapping and e-Commerce Technologies | |
| April | MichCon Merger | |
| March | Oakland County Prepares for ArcGIS Migration | |
| February | The Role of GIS in the City of Traverse City's Assessor's Office | |
| January | What's all this hoopla about XML? And what's it mean for us GIS users anyhow? | |
| 2000 | December | From the Events Committee |
| November | Counties and Local Users Conference | |
| October | Rouge River Project GIS Applications | |
| September | Waterford Township’s 3 Stages for a Successful GIS Project | |
|
August New Member Insert |
Data Documentation? | |
| July | Ninth Annual IMAGIN Forum | |
| May/June | How to convert geographic data from SPCS27 to SPCS83 | |
| March/April | Common Stumbling Blocks in the use of State Plane Coordinates | |
|
January/February New Member Insert |
SPCS27 to SPCS83 Conversion | |
| 1999 | September/October | Should GIS Professionals Be Certified? |
| July/August | Advanced Sensor Technologies Support Local and Regional GIS - Part 2 | |
| May/June | Advanced Sensor Technologies Support Local and Regional GIS - Part 1 | |
| March/April | Enhanced Access - Recovering GIS Costs | |
| January/February | GPS and Mapping State Parks | |
| 1998 | November/December | Spatial Problem Solving - The Missing Link in GIS Training |
| September/October | GIS: Are the Benefits Worth the Costs? | |
| July/August | 7th Annual IMAGIN Forum a Record Breaker |
E-News
Welcome to the IMAGIN E-News web page! The IMAGIN E-News has been designed to deliver monthly news about IMAGIN, IMAGIN members and GIS in Michigan. We intend to keep the newsletter small and concise with links to related information so that it will be an easy, quick read for all the busy GIS professionals in Michigan.
This newsletter is for non IMAGIN members as well as IMAGIN members, so please feel free to forward your copy of E-News on to anyone you know who may be interested in GIS in Michigan. If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe from E-News, send email to enews@imagin.org. Note: for your security, we can only accept requests from the email account that you want to subscribe or unsubscribe, thanks. We encourage everyone to send in their suggestions for the upcoming issues of E-News. Please send your suggestions to enews@imagin.org.
Issue
- March 2010
- January 2010
- November 2009
- September 2009
- July 2009
- April 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- July 2008
- May/June 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- November 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- November/December 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006 - Inaugural Issue
Contact Us
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IMAGIN, Inc.
2277 Science Parkway, 4A
Okemos, MI 48864
Phone: 517.338.3035 x 709
Fax: 866.298.2115
E-mail:
info@imagin.org
