Development in the Hardware and Software Industries Tapped by GIS Appl Assignment

Development in the Hardware and Software Industries Tapped by GIS Applications - Assignment Example Hardware and software industries have catered to the needs of various areas defined in the marketplace. Software that is used to integrate geographical information with people and events, help in producing knowledge useful in the industrial operations and a basis of research outcomes. Examples are the GIS software and hardware used for libraries, museums, and schools that facilitate management, demographic/market analysis, asset mapping and inventories (Educational License Options n.d.).   Specific applications include ArcGIS for Desktop, Explorer, Mapping, Server, Server Image Extension and many others. In the case of Botanical Gardens and Zoological Parks, a software was developed specifically designed as a data model for mapping facilities and plant collections. It is called ArcGIS Public Garden Data Model. The hardware developments kept up with the industry standard or what was required for efficient data capture of GIS components. The digitizing tablets allowed the operator to record coordinates and scanners which convert analog source documents into digital raster form (Jackson and Woodsword 2012). GIS has been integrated into social networking. Ushahidi, for example, is a software that is used to collect information from multiple channels such as text messages, email, and Twitter (Dumbill 2010). It has been found useful in reporting disasters such as floods and aggregating reports from citizen journalists. The trend analysis provided by GIS in a combination of social data resulted in quick and effective disaster management. It has used information from social networking as sensors of the pending disaster, enabling the authorities to respond accordingly.