GIS Program Description

What is GIS?

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a computer system technology capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information. Data, people, and hardware/software are key components of a GIS. While many people equate GIS with producing paper maps, the power of GIS technology is its use in a wide range of operations and applications. GIS can use data from many different sources and in different forms and link these data sets together, thus multiple applications can be created for decision-making purposes. The user has the ability to query geo-referenced spatial data in three dimensions and explore interrelationships of various natural, social, and man-made resources.

SRBC GIS Program

The goal of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission's Geographic Information System program is to aid in the collection, organization, and distribution of information needed to protect the water resources of the basin. GIS staff builds and maintains the GIS database, manages the infrastructure, and provides support for SRBC's technical staff.

Commission staff uses GIS to strengthen its data analysis capability when investigating water resource activities. As a database tool, the integration of data from different data sources can reveal spatial relationships not apparent with tabular datasets. Data manipulation and data delineation functions are used to overlay various coverages creating new information about a study area. GIS also provides a way to communicate these results through visual presentation. As a cartographic tool, information can be displayed in various formats that can be easily understood by a wide audience.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission has incorporated GIS technology into its routine water resource management activities. These activities can be categorized into four major areas: Public Information & Education; Analysis & Assessment; Watershed Planning; and Data Sharing & Assistance. Maps frequently used and associated with these activities can be viewed and printed from the Map Gallery.

Hardware and Software

The SRBC GIS program utilizes Environmental Systems Research Institute's software. We maintain licenses for ArcInfo 8.1, ArcGrid, ArcView 8.1, ArcView 3.2 and Spatial Analyst 1.1. Staff accesses the software on a local area network with Pentium class PCs running Windows 2000. Peripheral hardware includes a Hewlett Packard DesignJet 800 PS plotter, CalComp DrawingBoard III 44" x 66" digitizer, and a Trimble Geoexplorer 3 Global Positioning System.