GIS For Dummies®

Chapter 19

Generating Non-Cartographic Output

In This Chapter

Identifying routes and travel directions

Making customer lists and statistical data

Sending signals electronically from your GIS

Creating animated movies and even virtual output

Maps are the traditional output from GIS, but not everyone is well-versed in reading maps — especially thematic maps (which I talk about in Chapter 2), the typical type of maps resulting from GIS data retrieval or analysis. I’ve been to several conferences where people got into lengthy, often heated, discussions about exactly what a particular map was trying to communicate. Such disagreement often happens because of poor cartography, but it can also happen because of the map reader’s lack of familiarity with map symbols, classification strategies, and legends.

The ultimate goal of GIS is to communicate results. Many people are familiar with lists, tables, statistics, travel directions, and other non-map-like forms of communication. If the intended recipients of your GIS output are more comfortable with these alternatives to maps, then why not provide them with these forms of communication, rather than — or, at least, in addition to — cartographic output?

GIS has many ways to communicate results that are not purely cartographic. This chapter helps you with a few of these methods so that you’re ready to deliver your GIS output to meet the needs of diverse audiences.

Looking for Routings and Travel Directions

GIS provides many opportunities to ...