What is GIS? Simply put, a GIS combines layers of information about a place to give you a better understanding of that place to give you a better understanding of that place. What layers of information you combine depends on your purpose-finding the best location for a new store, analyzing environmental damage, viewing similar crimes in a city to detect a pattern, and so on.

GIS is a system of hardware, software and procedures designed for support, capture, management, manipulation, analysis modeling and display of spatially referenced data, for solving complex planning and management problems. There aren't many fields wherein the GIS have not been made use of. To be part of this vast field, qualification or atleast, some basic background in the areas of natural resource management, environment planning, local and municipal authorities, emergency management, military commands, transportation management, socio-economic development, urban development, public utility works and business applications is required. Though students from any discipline can be a part of the GIS the students of civil engineering, geography, geology, sociology, soil science, surveying, urban planning and remote sensing are better equipped to enter this field.

GIS WHERE TO STUDY

Many institutes in India offer courses and higher study opportunities in the GIS or its related subjects. For example, we have the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dehradun that has to its credit, more than 4200 professionals in the fields of remote sensing and GIS. Then there's the centre for spatial Information Technology in JNTU, hyderbad.Similarly, the IITs of Mumbai and Kanpur, the Roorkee university, the REC, Warangal- all these offer Masters in GIS.Also, many prestigious institutes like the ISRO, the National Remote Sensing Agency(NRSA),Space Application centre, Ahmedbad,Survey Training Institute,Hyderbad and the Geological Survey of India conducts short term and long term courses and work shops. To get into these programs, one has to avail the facility of a mandatory common entrance test. The good news is that almost all the institutes allow students from multi-disciplinary subjects for their Masters level program. The bad news is that some of them accept only students with electronic or computer science background, geosciences and BA/BSc in geography.

GIS packages

Coming to the GIS software packages, there are many of them available in the market and the working of GIS in a particular organization depends on the software used .The most widely used are however,Arcnfo,ArcView,AutoCAD Map Info,Geomedia,CARIS GIS,SICAD and some others. Employment of GIS graduates is not scarce. Though the percentage of employment in the private sector is more than that in the public sector, the fact that top-notch national organizations like the ISRO, NRSA, National Informatics Centre (NIC) and other government departments like urban development authorities and municipal bodies employ GIS trained personnel, is very important. Research can also be taken up as many companies use the technology.

GIS LEVELS

There are six different levels or kinds of employment in the GIS.The first on the list are the GIS digesters or GIS operators. This is the entry -level job wherein the conversion of paper maps to digital environment takes place using CAD related software. One need'nt have any prior experiences save that the minimum eligibility criterion namely a diploma in any discipline, along with basic knowledge of CAD/GIS is to be obliged.Next come,the GIS technicians/gis engineers. An experience of 1-2 years of good mapping is required along with a fair amount of working knowledge in any GIS software .The GIS analysts are professionals with a must -have basic knowledge in any GIS applications and software, with a few years of experience. Their job is to examine the company's project specifications and develop new GIS tools, wherever necessary. A fair share of GIS programming skills is an advantage.

Courtesy : www.education.saify.com and www.gis.com