Emergence of a New GIS

SHUNJI MURAI (Emeritus Professor of the University of Tokyo; and an honorary member of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing)

A personal watch : a cherished life dream of ordinary folk.

Now, we find watches anywhere we look.

People never hoped to telephone while walking.

Now, even children have cellular phones

for talking, and talking.

Buying a computer was as remote as buying a house.

Now, it goes in a child's Christmas stocking.

They thought it was dangerous to use new-fangled GIS only a decade ago.

Many failures, more impositions.

Now, GIS is vital when data relate to position.

GIS can be thought an almighty tool,

since there's no relative, no absolute, no data

without position.

The nexus of tools is privatization for individuals,

seen in watches, telephones, and computers.

People want their own tools because it's comfortable.

It would be nice if a new portable device with GIS would be quite comfortable.

It would be nice if a GIS device

combined with a watch, telephone, and computer were made.

A cellular phone with a watch, Internet, GPS, digital camera

is already out on the shelves

So add a computer and GIS and see for ourselves -

A new GIS tool - the "almighty machine" that humanity of olden times

so often dreamed.

Tools that humanity developed have made people lazy

infinitely.

I pray that GIS may make humanity wise

infinitely.

What is GIS?

GIS stands for Geographic Information System. This is a system utilizing, managing, analyzing, and visualizing geospatial information together with attribute data (data related to space). The GIS is often applied to the field of marketing to analyze customer flow and other conditions when making a new convenience store.