What is a GIS?  

GIS, which means Geographic Information System, is an encompassing way of organizing, using, and retrieving information or data which has a "locational" aspect to it.  Municipalities, Utilities, and County Governments use these systems extensively to catalogue, organize, and enhance and allow ease of use for their various databases, inventory data, and field structures (location and type), property ownership records, and zoning and planning designations.

A GIS organizes and references data in two principal ways.  First it organizes data within databases, which can be thought of as simple tables listing information about similar items.  Then the system provides a "map" location for the features described in the various database.  Map locations can be simple locations plotted from older work drawings indicating locations, or they can be GPS (Global Positioning System) located to provide sub-meter location of features on the earth's surface.  The City of Huntingburg uses GPS technology extensively to locate infrastructure features in the field. 

These two references (database and map location) are then "linked" or "cross-referenced".  Once linking is performed, data can be retrieved and analyzed by tabular and/or spatial (in relationship to other structures or locations) means.  The linked data can be quickly accessed, analyzed, and/or printed for employee usage.

The GIS system for the City of Huntingburg has been developed and maintained by Precision Earth Sciences, Inc., a Huntingburg based GIS Development and Computer Services company.