ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

GIS in environmental contamination

So, imagine you have a big map of the world that shows all the places where people are living and all the things they're doing there. Now, let's say there's something bad that's happened in one of those places, like a big oil spill or a chemical leak.

That's where GIS comes in. GIS stands for Geographic Information System, but we can just call it a fancy map. This fancy map has all sorts of information about the world on it, like where rivers and lakes are, where people live, and where different types of plants and animals can be found.

When something bad happens in one of those places, like a chemical spill or a leak from a factory, GIS can be used to find out which areas might be affected. That's because GIS can show us things like the direction that the wind and water are moving, where people and animals might be getting their water and food from, and how close different places are to the contamination.

GIS can also be used to help clean up the contamination. It can show us where the contaminated soil or water is, and help us plan how to remove it safely. It can also help us figure out where we need to monitor things like air quality or water pollution to make sure the contamination isn't spreading.

So, in short, GIS is like a really smart map that helps us understand how environmental contamination is affecting the world around us, and how we can clean it up and keep people safe.