Geographic Information Systems, is a collaboration of software, hardware and geographic data.  this combination along with GPS/Global Positioning Systems, is used for managing, analyzing, capturing and displaying forms of geographical information.  Even though professionals in a wide variety of areas can benefit from GIS, it is especially useful in local government applications.  With GIS, the City is able to keep more accessible information and display it in an easier and more timely manner.

     The Fort Oglethorpe GIS Department is a recently added department that, on its simplest level, dealswith mapping.  But GIS is much more than creating maps.  Geographical Information Systems can be used to inventory, analyze and manage any data that has a spatial or geographic nature.  A GIS takes numbers and words from a database and turns them into visual data that can be displayed on a map.  By doing this questions can be answered like where, why and how.