GIS is important because of its ability to analyze information. Any information which is related to maps can be analyzed with a GIS. The types of maps and data in a GIS are also very flexible. A GIS map can cover very small to very large areas. A small GIS map might just show a few blocks in a city. It might show details of where utilities such as telephones lines, sewers, and cables are located. A large GIS map could cover the entire Earth. It might show seasonal changes in plant growth. The information that a GIS map shows can be about anything.

A geographic information system (or GIS) is a way of representing information about the world in a computer in the same way a map shows the world on paper.