About Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

GIS (a system of hardware, software, databases and maps), provides planning staff the ability to apply geographic knowledge more efficiently in supporting location decisions involving physical and human factors. GIS tools allow the staff a geographic approach to the planning process. This approach involves transportation modeling, transportation networks, traffic analysis zones, existing/future land use and terrain, transit needs analysis, transit quality of service, vehicle routing, environmental and social impacts, and engineering costs and constraints.