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GIS (Geographic Information System) is a system of computer software, hardware and data, and personnel to help manipulate, analyze and present information that is tied to a spatial location. Any variable that can be located spatially can be fed into GIS.

According to an estimate over 80 % of information used by government has a spatial component The main constituents of GIS are:

	Geography- Spatial location
	Information- visualization of analysis of data
	System- linking software, hardware and data
	Personnel- a thinking explorer who is key to the power of GIS In simplest way.

 GIS is a computer based-tool for mapping and analyzing things that exist and events that happen on Earth. Mapmaking and geographic analysis are not new, but a GIS performs these tasks better and faster than do the old manual methods.

Applications of GIS:

GIS is widely used by government and non-government organisations that include-

	Utilities- Planning and Monitoring
	Master Planning- Site Selection
	Map Making - Automated Map Production
	Public Facilities Determining- Hospital, School, Car park
	Environmental Management- Waste Dump Sites
	Emergency Response Planning- Route and time to attend
	Agriculture Planning- Land use, Crop Management
	Municipal GIS - for administering and planning

and many more areas such as in Statistical Operations.

Statistics & GIS:

GIS is extensively used by Statistical offices throughout the world in the stages of

	Data Collection
	Data Processing
	Data Interpretation & Analysis.
	Data Dissemination.

Socio- economic statistics are the foundation of public planning and management and their geographic distribution and interpretation guide policy decision on regional developments, service provisions and many other areas. Besides WHAT, GIS answers WHERE, WHY, HOW and WHEN.

GIS Technology integrates common database operations such as query and statistical analysis with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps.