The ArcGIS tutorial takes the user through many of the features available on the program. While it gives the user the freedom to analyze spatial data, many of the features are not intuitive and the user is therefore limited by the program’s complexity. Yet undoubtedly, the potential of GIS is huge. Because it allows its user to store, edit, and create data, it brings us to a new age of information sharing. The main pitfall of the software that I observe is that it is not easy to use for the untrained geographer.
GIS gives people the ability to create maps without having to perform repetitive work. It stores information such as population density, county borders, and school locations so that each geographer making a map of a particular area does not have to start over and collect information all over again. It gives users the ability to build off information already input into the program, while leaving creative freedom to the individual. As more and more information is acquired, GIS becomes very important. It gives us a way of analyzing this data. Population density is important to analyze when deciding where to place community resources such as hospitals and fire departments. GIS can help us decide how to allocate resources in the most spatially effective way.
Another great area of potential in GIS is that we are able to see relationships and correlations by plotting data on the same map. This is applicable to many fields and careers. An example is compiling a map to judge environmental justice in a region. This may consist of a map layered with pollution information and with the race of people living in the region. This type of spatial analysis allows us to determine when environmental injustice is occurring, giving us the possibility to better address it. It would obviously be best if no one had to live in pollution, but unfortunately there is not so much environmental equity in reality. Certain neighborhoods bear the brunt of our pollution, and it is only by comparing these areas spatially to other areas that we can pinpoint these problems. GIS therefore gives us greater understanding of spatial relations so we can make sensible decisions.
However, GIS does have its pitfalls. Unlike neogeography, GIS is map-centric. Neogeography is friendly to the user, and the average person is able to easily create and use maps in new ways. GIS, on the other hand, requires training. While the tools desired by the user may be available through the program, if the user is unable to access these features then it is useless. GIS also has the potential to make the user think they are seeing the “whole picture” when looking at a region, when in reality key information may be missing. An example is that if an elementary school was placed in a region because the population density was relatively high but there was an absence of schools in the area, the school may not be needed because the majority of the population in the region may be past retirement age. Therefore, a flaw in GIS is that it may seem to be representing all the important features of a region, but in reality could be excluding very important data.
When going through the tutorial for the 4th or 5th time, I felt like I was getting a firm grasp on the program ArcGIS. I am comfortable with the main tools and feel that I would be able to do spatial analysis regarding any of the features in the tutorial. However, I do feel that I am limited in my knowledge to what was included in the tutorial. If I had to do spatial analysis in a rural area, I might not be prepared. When something went wrong in the tutorial and I couldn’t click “Undo”, I had no way of troubleshooting the error. The problem comes down to this fact: Using GIS is a skill that must be learned and practiced to be effective. The tutorial is easy to follow and is a great algorithm for making the specified map, but even after thoroughly reviewing the tutorial, the user has barely even tapped the surface of the capabilities of the program. So, while GIS has clear potential to make astonishing leaps in information technology, the pitfall is that its success is limited by the number of people who can use it.
GIS gives people the ability to create maps without having to perform repetitive work. It stores information such as population density, county borders, and school locations so that each geographer making a map of a particular area does not have to start over and collect information all over again. It gives users the ability to build off information already input into the program, while leaving creative freedom to the individual. As more and more information is acquired, GIS becomes very important. It gives us a way of analyzing this data. Population density is important to analyze when deciding where to place community resources such as hospitals and fire departments. GIS can help us decide how to allocate resources in the most spatially effective way.
Another great area of potential in GIS is that we are able to see relationships and correlations by plotting data on the same map. This is applicable to many fields and careers. An example is compiling a map to judge environmental justice in a region. This may consist of a map layered with pollution information and with the race of people living in the region. This type of spatial analysis allows us to determine when environmental injustice is occurring, giving us the possibility to better address it. It would obviously be best if no one had to live in pollution, but unfortunately there is not so much environmental equity in reality. Certain neighborhoods bear the brunt of our pollution, and it is only by comparing these areas spatially to other areas that we can pinpoint these problems. GIS therefore gives us greater understanding of spatial relations so we can make sensible decisions.
However, GIS does have its pitfalls. Unlike neogeography, GIS is map-centric. Neogeography is friendly to the user, and the average person is able to easily create and use maps in new ways. GIS, on the other hand, requires training. While the tools desired by the user may be available through the program, if the user is unable to access these features then it is useless. GIS also has the potential to make the user think they are seeing the “whole picture” when looking at a region, when in reality key information may be missing. An example is that if an elementary school was placed in a region because the population density was relatively high but there was an absence of schools in the area, the school may not be needed because the majority of the population in the region may be past retirement age. Therefore, a flaw in GIS is that it may seem to be representing all the important features of a region, but in reality could be excluding very important data.
When going through the tutorial for the 4th or 5th time, I felt like I was getting a firm grasp on the program ArcGIS. I am comfortable with the main tools and feel that I would be able to do spatial analysis regarding any of the features in the tutorial. However, I do feel that I am limited in my knowledge to what was included in the tutorial. If I had to do spatial analysis in a rural area, I might not be prepared. When something went wrong in the tutorial and I couldn’t click “Undo”, I had no way of troubleshooting the error. The problem comes down to this fact: Using GIS is a skill that must be learned and practiced to be effective. The tutorial is easy to follow and is a great algorithm for making the specified map, but even after thoroughly reviewing the tutorial, the user has barely even tapped the surface of the capabilities of the program. So, while GIS has clear potential to make astonishing leaps in information technology, the pitfall is that its success is limited by the number of people who can use it.
No comments:
Post a Comment