November 20 marks the 25th Annual Global GIS Day – a chance to celebrate how Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has evolved over the years into an everyday, essential tool for supporting communities.
What is GIS?
Ask someone to define GIS, and you’ll receive a variety of answers. Most people have encountered GIS through things like navigation apps, election maps, and COVID dashboards. While visualizing and analyzing data on a map might be the most familiar way to think about GIS, the technology continues to evolve as innovative tools emerge and as users find creative new ways to use it.
The Story of GIS
GIS has a rich history on the global scale. The early history of GIS is often traced back to 1854, when London physician John Snow created a map of Cholera cases and drinking water wells to locate the source of the outbreak. Over one hundred years later, computer technologies advanced enough to be used for computational geography in the 1960s, and the term geographic information systems (GIS) was first coined.
Satellite technology followed computers onto the scene in the 1970s. In 1972, the United States launched the first Landsat satellite to capture aerial imagery of the earth, inspired by the first photos of the earth from space. Navstar 1, the first U.S. global positioning system (GPS) satellite was launched in 1978, with full global satellite positioning coverage achieved in 1994. GIS as we know it today – software that supports spatial data collection, analysis, and visualization – became mainstream in the 1990s.
History of GIS at Prein&Newhof
Prein&Newhof began using GIS in 1999, and early adopters included communities in Kalamazoo County and Holland Charter Township. At this time, GPS units could achieve accuracies of 1 to 3 meters, and the batteries were so large that they needed to be carried in a backpack. All data collected with the units had to be “post-processed” back in the office before being able to be used in GIS. Sending data from one organization to another had to be done using compact disks, and then DVDs. Because of the time required for processing and transfer, GIS data was often out of date before it arrived for use.
Use of GIS continued to grow in the 2000s, with a dedicated GIS team keeping pace with new technologies and software capabilities. Beginning in 2013, GIS played a major role in supporting communities as Prein&Newhof assisted over 40 different communities through the Stormwater, Asset Management, and Wastewater (SAW) Program by mapping and evaluating millions of feet of storm and sanitary sewers and locating thousands of structures across Michigan.
In 2016, Prein&Newhof began widespread adoption of ArcGIS Online, a cloud-based GIS system that can be incorporated into business process workflows. ArcGIS Online allows users to access and collect GIS data through phones or tablets in real time, making GIS more accessible than ever. In contrast to the early GPS units of the early 2000s, today’s GPS units work directly with smartphones and tablets and achieve 3-inch or better accuracy. Data is stored directly to the cloud available for immediate using in various apps and GIS. Data is now shared between organizations directly through online services eliminating the need for transferring physical media. The City of Kalamazoo has leveraged this technology to locate and document service line replacements, and our GIS team has played an integral role in helping the City reach the milestone of replacing its 5000th lead service line in an extensive infrastructure improvements project.
Today, we are using Online GIS systems in supporting field inspections, facilitating O&M activities like hydrant flushing and valve turning, tracking lead service line replacements, and providing searchable online maps for cemetery records, making them accessible to community members.
How Can You Celebrate GIS Day?
- Explore free tools like Google Earth to virtually discover new places or use Google Maps to plan road trips and mark favorite camping spots!
- Use National Geographic’s Mapmaker to engage with your kids and create maps of global datasets, such as light pollution, to find the best spots for viewing the northern lights.
- Reflect on how you currently use GIS and brainstorm innovative ways you might use it in the future.