What are GIS, geographical information systems?

July 21, 2022
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In the field of topographic surveys today it is no longer possible to consider the single project without take into account the characteristics of the surrounding territory. This is why we hear more and more often about GIS, geographical information systems, detection systems that work alongside topographic surveys and laser scanners for data collection.

Let's see in detail What they are and what they are used for.

What are GIS, geographical information systems and what are they used for?

The word GIS in Italian it means Geographic Information Systems. These systems collect the geographic information not for the single building, as would happen in the case of a laser scanner survey, but for the entire territory, relating them to other information, such as urban planning and demographic information.

The purpose of GIS is to analyze and represent space, the objects present in it, the events that can occur in the territory and all the information concerning it, reporting everything in databases and on maps.

The use of Geographical Information Systems allows:

  • The correct one management of the territory;
  • The best planning also in the long term of the actions, interventions and maintenance to be carried out on it, also for the Civil Protection;
  • The realization of a better urban and infrastructure planning;
  • The making of cartography themes;
  • The analysis of the transformations of the territory over time;
  • The study of the heritage present in the territory, from the environmental and building ones to the historical, archaeological and cultural ones;
  • The making of seismic and geological mapping;
  • The applications GPS;
  • Monitoring the environmental situation of the territory And environmental impact studies;
  • The best plant management such as gas, water and electricity;
  • The simplest realization of the Land registry practices;
  • Statistical and demographic analysis more precise.

How Geographical Information Systems Work

After the data and information about the territory are collected through the topographic surveys, these are processed and represented in GIS systems via Cartograms and tables made in CAD and can also be consulted through the relational database DBMS, the Data Base Management System.

The integrated use of these two technologies allows for analyze the territory more effectively from a variety of perspectives, in an interactive and immediate way, having immediately available:

  • Geometric data, that is, shape, size and geographical position of objects;
  • Topological data, or connection, adjacency and mutual relations between objects;
  • Numerical and textual information relating to objects located on the territory.

GIS and BIM

As we have seen previously GIS, like laser scanner surveying can be integrated with the BIM methodology.

Laser scanner surveying becomes more efficient inintegration between laser scanner and BIM, and similarly GIS also gain greater benefits if used in synergy with the BIM methodology.

GIS and BIM together they expand the possibilities by offering a technologically advanced digital support that provides information on the entire life cycle of buildings and the territory, even over very large territories.

This way it is possible work on infrastructure but also on larger urban regeneration or planning projects with a collaborative and synchronized approach, focused in particular on innovation and sustainability.