Geoinformation

Geoinformation is an abbreviation of geographic information. Geographic information is created by manipulating geographic (or spatial) data (generally known by the abbreviation geodata) in a computerized system. Systems can include computers and networks, standards and protocols for data use and exchange between users within a range of different applications. Typical applications are land registration, hydrology, cadastral surveys, land evaluation, planning or environmental observation. Geodata comes in many different forms, such as maps or images taken from the air or from space, i.e., remote sensing data. Geodata may be stored in a database, which may possibly have special extensions for storing, handling, and manipulating spatial data. Geoinformation is the useful output, produced by analyzing data with a kind of computer program called a "geographic information system", or GIS. The environment in which a GIS operates (machines, people, networks) is called a "spatial information system", and is designed and created to respond to the strategic spatial information needs of people or organizations.