A Look at Federal Geospatial Information (CRS)

Policy issues surrounding the use of geospatial information are examined in two new reports from the Congressional Research Service.

Geospatial information is data referenced to a placea set of geographic coordinateswhich can often be gathered, manipulated, and displayed in real time. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer data system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information.

The federal government and policy makers increasingly use geospatial information and tools like GIS for producing floodplain maps, conducting the census, mapping foreclosures, congressional redistricting, and responding to natural hazards such as wildfires, earthquakes, and tsunamis. For policy makers, this type of analysis can greatly assist in clarifying complex problems that may involve local, state, and federal government, and affect businesses, residential areas, and federal installations.

See Geospatial Information and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): An Overview for Congress (pdf), May 18, 2011, and Issues and Challenges for Federal Geospatial Information (pdf), May 18, 2011.


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