GIS is short for Graphical Information System, which is an assemblage of computer hardware and software that enables spatial data to be collected, recorded, stored, retrieved, manipulated, analyzed, and displayed to the user. A common form of GIS that is used daily by many is that of Google Maps. Google Maps allows for a basic interaction with a geographical map, but also allows for the more advanced information to be accessed such as: traffic routes, bike paths, traffic conditions, business locations and public reviews, videos, pictures, and locations of friends. In the case of Google Maps, GIS allows the viewer of the map to interact with the map, culling various forms of dynamic data. One implementation of GIS, and in specific google maps, is that of geocaching (essentially a treasure hunt utilizing GPS and GIS) with a smart phone. The application on ones smart-phone (in this case that of Geocahing.com) is able to download location based caches, and map them utilizing google maps. The phones GPS is able to mark the geocachers position in relation to the geocache, and allow the person to navigate to the geocache while dynamically updating the geocachers location and distance to the geocache. In this picture Brennan and I attempted to discover a geocache while visiting Maligne Canyon, alas it was just out of reach.
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