The world of GIS is incredibly vast and expansive, giving its users power over geographical information and its association to any parameter of interest. In my mind, the single greatest component of GIS is the configuration of layers. To be able to isolate, order, and compare multiple data sets dealing with different issues, and look at them together is an incredibly useful tool. The spatial overlay of numerous parameters can be used in any field, and the ability to easily create layers, turn them on or off, alter their properties, and highlight their location makes disseminating information much easier.
With this powerful tool comes a bit of a lag time though. The one frustrating thing about working with ArcMap within GIS is that when you zoom in or out, or even drag your map the smallest amount to a new location, it takes a bit for the program to produce the desired view. I find myself watching the little globe at the bottom of the screen turning round and round while I wait for the map to update. It doesn’t seem so bad within this explanation, but when you have to wait for that globe every single time you alter the visual outlay, it does become annoying. As technology continues to improve with time, I see this problem becoming less and less of a big deal. ESRI will eventually create a program with minimal to no lag time, with no more waiting for everyone’s favorite globe to stop turning.
Another annoying aspect of GIS is the dreaded red exclamation point—indicating a broken file pathway for your data. It is incredibly disheartening opening up a map expecting to see a certain product, only to have all of the data missing and not showing. Oftentimes it is very confusing and laborious to go back within the files and select where you got your data from, especially when you are dealing with hundreds of types of data. If I were to make a suggestion it would be for GIS to save the exact pathway within itself, so that if the files are broken, the user can easily see where they must search to acquire the correct data.
Overall, I see GIS as an incredibly important and useful tool in any field, but more specifically within the environmental science field as well. I currently work for an environmental consulting firm that deals with litigation against big-time industrial polluters, and the functions that GIS allows us to use to show pollutant migration and residential zones affected is paramount to our success. We actually have three associates who specialize in GIS and only work on maps and different visual representations of the environmental situations all over the country. Their ability to isolate facilities and highlight their polygon, shade over areas of contamination, and provide better understanding of the topology are the most simple and powerful pieces of evidence in a court of law. I definitely see myself working with GIS in the future and am excited to continue to learn about the program and everything that it offers.
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