Geographic Information\nSystems (GIS) are powerful tools for spatial analysis that have transformed the\nway city and regional planners, environmental managers, politicians, students,\nand citizens interact with the natural environment. Initially created to\nprovide Canadian officials information about the distribution of their natural\nresources, GIS has evolved to offer immense possibilities for efficient organization\nof spatial data, and rigorous analysis of complex issues. As software companies\nlike Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute) and others have continued\nto create and distribute programs to conduct rigorous geoprocessing, they have\nalso expanded opportunity for a wider range of users to engage with spatial\nanalysis, widening the scope and possibilities for interaction with and sharing\nof spatial data. By working with the power of the internet and cloud-based\nsharing, recent innovations such as ArcGIS online offer users the ability to\nwork remotely and share their maps with colleagues across the globe, extending\nGIS to virtually any area where there is internet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This timeline<\/a> is a brief overview of the history of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and assesses the major innovations in spatial analysis that have brought us to where we are today. Major questions this timeline aims to answer are: who is credited with inventing initial forms of software that evolved into GIS, what was the intent of the initial software, and how have recent innovations in GIS technology changed what is possible in spatial analysis. There were two forms of software that I used in my creation of this timeline: the Timeline Generator from Knightlab (https:\/\/timeline.knightlab.com\/#preview-embed<\/a>) and Google Sheets to input data. Additionally, I used Google for research purposes, and am very thankful to the work of Geospatial World, GIS user, GIS Lounge, and Esri for their research and publications on the history of GIS and spatial analysis. Please see below for a listing of the aforementioned publications. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSpatial World, An Overview of GIS History<\/h4>\n\n\n\n