Andrew B. Johnny Director-Census and Gis Division- Statistics sierra Leone Andrew B. Johnny-SSL- slide 1

 Definition OF GIS.  Importance Of GIS.  Users Of GIS  Global Historical development and Future Of Gis.  Sierra Leone Historical Development and future of GIS  Conclusion Andrew B. Johnny Statistics Sierra Leone-slide 2

 There has been no universally accepted definition but there are attempted definitions of the concept GIS.  Any manual based or computer –based set of procedures used to store and manipulate geographically referenced data (Aronoff,1981)  A data based system with most of the data been spatially indexed,and upon which a set procedures operate in order to answer queries about spatial entities in database(Smith,1987)  A system for capturing,storing,checking, manipulating analyzing and display of spatially referenced data(Doe,1987,UK) These definitions and several others may all be very correct but this given by Doe is the one that do reflects a task –oriented definition of Gis  However for any Gis to be functional it must have the five components of Data, People procedure. Hardware and software Andrew B. Johnny -SSL-slide 3

 Gis technology is to geographically analyze what the microscope, telescope, and computers have been doing to other sciences.  Gis integrates spatial and other kinds of information within a single system –It offers a consistent framework for analyzing geographical data.  By putting maps and other kinds of spatial information in to digital form,Gis allows us to manipulate and display geographical knowledge in new and exiting ways.  Gis makes connections between activities based on geographic proximity -looking at data geographically, it can often suggest new insights and explanations. -These connections are often unrecognized with out GIS,but can be vital to understanding and managing activities and resources. o E.g. can link toxic waste records with school locations through geographic proximity. Andrew B. Johnny –SSL slide 4

 Almost every facet of the global community today is using Gis depending on area of interest as on the basis of definition below:  A container of Map in a digital form-The general Public  A computerized tool for solving geographic problems-Decision makers and planners  A spatial decision support system-Managers Operations researchers  A mechanized inventory of geographically distributed features-Utility and resource managers.  A tool for revealing what is other wise invisible in geographic information-Scientists and investigators.  A tool for performing operations on geographic data that are too tedious if performed by manual means-Resource managers, planners and Gis experts. From historical evidence in the US History the military were amongst the first people that started using GIS technology through the use of Global positioning system(GP S) Andrew B. Johnny -SSL,slide 5

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT  was the era of beginning where individual personalities with main frame based and system dominant in its use.  was the era of innovation as local experimentations and actions were eminent forstared by national agencies with much duplication of efforts.eg the Canada land inventory by the federal and provincial government.  The era of commercialization as there were increasing range of vendors,worstations and PC systems becoming common as there were also now emergence of GIS consultancies.  2000 Onwards is known as the era of exploitation which has seen embryonic exploitation, increasing use of PC and networked systems, internet mapping launched and systems available for all hard ware platforms. Adopted from Heywood,coradius and carver,2004. THE FUTURE It is no doubt that Gis has and will continue to make the world as a global village that will be appreciated by every nation. It is expected that more complex Gis software's will be in use to do sophisticated analysis in relatively a shorter period. This has seen the emergence of several GIS software's. Gradually replacing the older versions of Arc view 3.3.Like ArGIS,Quantum gis etc. Andrew B. Johnny SSL-slide 6

 In tracing the history of GIS in Sierra Leone the it goes back to the period of the era of commercialization from the global perspective During this period the Unamsil military who fought alongside the government troops in Sierra Leone were using it to locate the enemies through the use of Gps.The university also started introducing the theoretical component of it. But the problem at this time was data and the software for general use.  Immediately after the war some institutions started using it for some operations like Statistics SierraLeone,Daco Slis etc.  From 2000 to date the use of Gis has been widely accepted by several institutions in Sierra Leone ranging from Gvernment,NGOs, Educational institutions etc.  Several Local Gis trainings have been undertaken in an effort to build the capacity of workers in Gis technology Like Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food security, The local councils ect.  There are today several Gis projects implemented by local consultants in the country with the required expertise.  What is laken in the country is offering of Gis courses leading to the award of Gis Degrees. but we have quite a lot trained professionals in the area Andrew B. Johnny SSL-, slide 7

 The future is bright as the technology is now widely used and appreciated by almost every facet of the sierra Leonean society.  The students graduating from the universities are becoming more interested in the discipline than ever before.  This is as a result of its wideer use especially by reputable institutions  Gis matters, in all countries of the world Sierra Leone inclusive. Andrew B. Johnny SSL-, slide 8

 For GIS to have brighter future in Sierra Leone, The Universities must immediately start offering courses leading to the award of undergraduate degrees in GIS as a result of its wider use. Andrew B. Johnny SSL, slide 9