GIS (Geographic Information Systems) have a broad application, mapping is the most well known, but there are many other applications. GIS can be used in archaeology, telecom and network services, accident analysis, urban planning, transportation planning, environmental impact analysis, agricultural applications (precision farming, disease control, irrigation, drought, etc.), disaster management and mitigation, navigation, flood damage estimation, natural resources management, banking, taxation, surveying, geology, management and maintenance, planning and community development, dairy industry, irrigation water management, pest control and management, and so much more. Really, any industry or research area that has geographic data. Data exploration in GIS is profound as well. By adding geographic features, attributes and metadata, the amount of input data is limitless.

Municipalities use GIS for many of the applications previously mentioned, including tree cover and management and showing gas and utility lines, but querying the available data is one of the most popular uses. The municipality of Victoria has such a map. The viewer can add and remove layers, such as capital and construction projects, to keep in touch as to what is happening in their community. Click on the Victoria link to launch the map and explore away!