Importance Of Geographic Information System In Saudi Arabia

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The Geographic Information System (GIS) is used in Saudi Arabia for several projects. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest exporter or oil, gas and phosphates; therefore, using GIS is beneficial to them as they understand further information regarding drilling and extracting the two major natural resources. Another aspect in which the geographical information system is used is for projects such as water management. A problem they seem to be facing for years, they finally found a solution to it using the GIS system. The government of Saudi Arabia believes that a successful way of staying ahead of the competition in the real estate business is by using this efficient system. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia is also looking into applying …show more content…

These systems play very significant roles in organizations (Baker, & Cai, 1992). The technology brings together geographical features and tabulates data with an aim of mapping, analyzing and assessing various problem on the earth’s surface. Since geography is the most important component of geographical information system, some portions of the relevant data are spatial. It involves referencing data according to its position on the earth. This system operates at different levels. On its basic levels, the system is used as a computer cartography for straightforward mapping. At this level, it uses statistical and spatial methods to analyze and attribute information. This results in interpolated information, derivative information and/or prioritized information. Although geospatial engineering is often used to mean geographical information systems, it is important to note that geospatial engineering is broader term compared to GIS. Geospatial refer to the use of all the technologies of geographic data (Goodchild, 2007). This means that some applications may fall under the geospatial field even though they …show more content…

Although it plays very significant role in the gas and petroleum sectors, it seems to be gaining much prevalence in other areas of Saudi’s economy. First, the system is used in the mapping of data. The primary goal of a geographic information system is to offer a platform through which data can be represented visually. It is estimated that 80% of all data in Saudi Arabia has some geospatial elements that can be described using this system. It provides a means through which information can be stored in a database and visualized in mapped format. This provides an understanding of where certain features are located on the surface of the earth, which is the start point for understanding particular spatial relationship and patterns. For instance, the location of oil/gas deposits in Saudi Arabia has been visualized using this system. The Saudis also use the system for proximity analysis. This analytical technique defines the relationship between one location or point and others that have a link (Goodchild, 2007). Many commercial institutions use the system to identify areas that are suitable for the development of more outlets or branches. The technique considers factors such as economic and social demographics and the presence of competitors in a particular region. The geographic information system has been used to answer specific questions such as the distances between two points of interest, average distances and conditions, the

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