Senior Research Paper

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a powerful technology that analyzes and visualizes spatial data. The exploration of its global development and applications reveals the technology’s significant influence on the world today. GIS, originating from nineteenth century spatial analysis and officially founded by Roger Tomilson in 1963, has evolved into a tool relied on by governments and organizations worldwide. GIS’s significant societal impacts can be highlighted across four major fields: indigenous rights, archaeology, environmental sustainability, and public health. Indigenous communities with access to geospatial data are able to reclaim land rights and protect cultural heritage, through statistical proof of the existence of native land and how it contextualizes land into indigenous identity. The application of historic landscape characterization allows archaeologists to find hidden aspects of historical sites, revealing the possibility of widespread archaeological discoveries through GIS. Environmental case studies from Ethiopia and Germany illustrate the role of geographic information systems in mitigating air pollution and visualizing urban sprawl–both ways to influence and enact sustainable policy-making. The mapping of viruses and analyzing healthcare access disparities are crucial GIS capabilities in public health. Examples like Brooklyn and Myanmar highlight how health care access disparities, including inequitable vaccine distribution, are being fixed by the use of geographic information systems. Though data inaccuracies, technological waste, and access inequities all limit the current success of GIS, the advantages of the technology outweigh its challenges. This interdisciplinary field can drive a better future. The continued expansion of GIS access and accuracy will maximize its positive societal impacts in the coming decades.