Rivers
What is a Geographic Information System?
Population
A GIS can be very complex. We are going to help you see what a GIS is by looking at a very, very simple one regarding the United States of America.
GIS is a way to show data on top of a map so that geographers can make meaning of a place.
The map you will see first does not have the Great Lakes region labeled. To begin, close this window using the map and add the “Great Lakes” layer.
Great Lakes
The map you will see first does not have the Great Lakes labeled. To begin, close this window using the “X” above and add the “Great Lakes” layer to find Michigan on this map.
What just happened to this map? Information was added to it which brought up the state of Michigan. Because Michigan is made up of two peninsulas, adding the lakes added the state to the map.
What if a geographer wanted to learn more about water in the United States overall?
Close this window and press the button for “rivers” to add more information to this map.
Another lay has just been added to this map. Now you can see some of the major rivers in the United States.
Now lets really see how a GIS can be useful by adding some extra data to it. Close this window with the X above and add population to the mix.
Another layer has just been added to this map. Now you can see some of the major population centers are in the United States - these are the areas where a lot of people live.
With information like this geographers are able to visually see data and come to a conclusion.
Before closing this widget - in looking at where a good number of the dots are…do you notice any patterns about where people in the United States live?
Mississippi Watershed
Regions