I read the syllabus and schedule, and I took the Geog 291 quiz!
Hello, my name is Kiley Sisler. I am a current sophomore and I am from Powell, Ohio. I am still currently undecided for my major; I am leaning towards astrophysics and computer science though. I am taking this class because I wanted to add ArcGIS Pro to my resume. Outside of Ohio Wesleyan, I partake in Tang Soo Do, and I am training to get my fourth-degree black belt right now.
Chapter 1.
I had never heard of GIS until I attended a career fair last year. I originally thought GIS was just used to map things like plants, forests, the way water flows and ecosystems. GIS originally started out in 1962, when Ian McHarg wanted to build a highway with the least amount of disturbance to everything around it. He used pieces of paper to create layers to find the spot of least disturbance to build the highway. I find it interesting that computerized spatial analysis was not really explored until the early 60’s, because the physical maps were acting as a decoy of the impact spatial analysis could have.
There are many identities of GIS, GISystems, GIScientists, and GIScience. GISystems are assumed to be true by most of the users. It took a while for a new identity of GIS to be created/found. The next one was GIScience, which is the theoretical basis of GISystems. GIScientists are people that question the models, and if they would work in different scenarios. The work of these GIScientists starts before any of the data is put in digitally as well. GISystems has different processes compared to GIScience, such as classifications, spatial analysis, and digital encoding. Where GIScience has more theoretical bases and justification for these processes. Both GISystems and GIScience are dependent on spatial data.
The definitions of boundaries are a heated topic, especially when it comes to resources. GIS is now used to help predict future outcomes from previous data. Some of the power that GIS has is from the power it has from visualization. Geographic visualization is both traditional cartography and the ability of expressing physical relationships with spatial data visually. GIS is used in agriculture, finding which crop is best based on the soil tests, and it is also used by the government for tax purposes. I never knew that GIS was used so much and on such a wide scale.
Application 1
GIS for Carnivorous Plant Distribution & Conservation
Source: Distribution Map – Carnivorous Plant Database
Carnivorous plants—such as Drosera, Nepenthes, Sarracenia, and Utricularia—often inhabit nutrient-poor wetlands and highly specific microclimates. GIS helps researchers map species distributions, model habitat suitability, and track environmental changes affecting these sensitive plants. Some key GIS uses for carnivorous plants include mapping global species occurrences, modeling climate, identifying biodiversity hotspots, and helping support conservation planning in threatened wetland ecosystems.
General GIS applications in environmental monitoring (contextual environmental GIS research)
Application 2
World Resources Institute. “Global Forest Watch.” WRI Data Explorer, World Resources Institute, 2026, https://datasets.wri.org/applications/global-forest-watch-app?utm_source=chatgpt.com
GIS Application: Monitoring Deforestation
One important application of GIS in deforestation is Global Forest Watch (GFW), an online platform that uses satellite data and interactive maps to monitor changes in forests around the world. GIS allows users to see where trees are being lost and compare forest changes over time. Global Forest Watch can also show information about protected areas, land use, and deforestation alerts. This makes GIS useful for governments, researchers, and conservation organizations because they can identify areas experiencing forest loss and determine where conservation efforts may be needed. For example, a researcher could use the map to examine tree-cover loss in the Amazon rainforest and compare it with roads, protected areas, or agricultural regions. Global Forest Watch provides near-real-time information about where and how forests are changing, making it an important GIS application for monitoring and responding to deforestation.
