GIS Help
Video Tutorials
| Q: A: |
What is GIS short for? GIS is short for Geographic Information System |
| Q: A: |
What is a Geographic Information System (GIS)? A Geographic Information System (GIS) is an information system that is geo-enabled. Any information system consist of five components: software, hardware, data, people, and processes. A GIS enables users to turn data into information. |
| Q: A: |
Wait… What is geo-enabled? Geo-enabled simply means that rather than looking at data in tabular form such as a table in a spreadsheet, one can visualize data on a map since the data has coordinates or some type of spatial reference that ties that data record to a fixed physical location on the earth. Think of a building with an address represented on a map instead of a spreadsheet. |
| Q: A: |
What's the difference between data and information? Data are the individual characteristics that are raw and unprocessed. Whereas information is the data that has been combined, processed, and analyzed usually with the purpose of making decisions. Think of data as the raw ingredients to bake a cake and information as the cake. |
| Q: A: |
How is the City of Imperial using GIS? The city is using GIS to identify and track the location of all city owned assets such as roads, water distribution systems, wastewater systems, parks and playground equipment, high speed broadband infrastructure and hardware, and several other assets. This empowers city staff, management, and the City Council to make more informed decisions when planning to reduce risk and improve city services. There is also a public facing GIS Web Portal to keep the public informed and engaged with the city services they have access to. |
| Q: A: |
What other cities in the region are using GIS? The city of Imperial is the first municipal government agency in Imperial County to implement and enterprise GIS. The city's enterprise GIS is still under construction with a planned enterprise implementation in January 2025. |
| Q: A: |
How reliable is the data in the city's GIS? The city has a lot of data. However, data must be maintained and updated through well-defined processes. After the city established it's enterprise GIS, the next phase is to perform several data health initiatives. These initiatives can be performed using different methods and will improve the accuracy and reliability of the data. Well defined processes must be developed and adopted as well to ensure a well maintained, reliable and robust GIS for years to come. |
| Q: | What's the difference between a GIS web map, GIS web app, and GIS mobile app? |
| A: | A GIS web map is a digital version of a GIS map that can be opened in a browser and has tools that allow the user to interact with the map. These maps are not as user friendly and usually require more specialized training so GIS web apps and GIS mobile apps are created to enhance the user experience when working with GIS web maps. GIS web maps and mobile apps are designed and configured with specific tools in mind and ensure the end user has a more enjoyable experience when working with GIS data. |
| Q: | How will I know how to use the GIS web apps and GIS mobile apps that the City provides on their GIS web portal for public use? |
| A: | The good news is, you won't need to be an expert to use the city's GIS. Most of the apps will be fairly intuitive if you are familiar with a web browser and other mapping services. However, we have went the extra mile for you and created some tutorial videos that are easy to follow and allow you to learn at your own pace. Feel free to revisit the tutorials as often as you need. |
| Q: | How will I know when more GIS web applications become available on the City of Imperial's GIS Web Portal? |
| A: | We recommend you visit the city's web page often and follow our Facebook and Instagram social media pages to stay informed regarding all city events and updates. |
- Press Release: City of Imperial GIS Web Portal Debuts for GIS Day 2024
Coming soon...
