ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Geographic information system software

Let’s imagine we are playing with a big puzzle, but instead of being made up of normal shapes, it is made up of maps. A map shows us the different things that we can find in a specific place: roads, buildings, lakes, mountains, and more. But how can we make sense of all these maps in different places and put them together to understand a whole area?

That’s where Geographic Information System (GIS) software comes in! It helps us solve this puzzle by putting all the pieces (maps) together and showing us different kinds of information at once!

GIS software takes different maps and stacks them on top of one another, creating layers that we can see through, like a set of transparent pages. Just like in a puzzle, different layers let us see different parts of the picture. We can even add information to these maps to help us understand them better, like measuring how long it takes to move from one place to another or how many people live in a specific area.

GIS software helps us create maps that show us different kinds of information based on where things are located. For example, we can create a map that shows only schools and hospitals, another map that shows only rivers and mountains, and another map that shows where people who are affected by a specific disease live, all at the same time!

In summary, GIS software helps us understand what’s happening in different places by putting together lots of maps that show us different kinds of information, so we can see the whole picture!
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