Computers and maps
For the past 30 years, information and geography have been joined in computer programs called Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Adding information to maps provides new ways to analyze data.
Today, GIS allows utility companies to keep track of pipelines and cables, shows foresters where trees old enough to harvest are growing, and lets the regional district know who paid their taxes.
This map shows the shape of the ground, the location of rivers and streams, where moose live, where caribou roam - and it shows a lot about the trees. Without computer-based Geographic Information Systems, keeping track of northern BC’s forest would take more than a thousand kilometres of map sheets.
