Web GIS

Web GIS, also known as Web-based GIS, are <a href="/facts/Geographic_Information_Systems/PoP1kVoa">Geographic Information Systems</a> (GIS) that employ the <a href="/facts/World_Wide_Web/wvnTrWFq">World Wide Web</a> (the Web) to facilitate the storage, visualization, analysis, and distribution of <a href="/facts/Spatial_information/FUSjSQ71">spatial information</a> over the <a href="/facts/Internet/Xw1rVvJU">Internet</a>. Web GIS involves using the Web to facilitate GIS tasks traditionally done on a desktop computer, as well as enabling the sharing of maps and spatial data. 
Web GIS is a subset of <a href="/facts/Internet_GIS/jwFfpe7U">Internet GIS</a>, which is itself a subset of <a href="/facts/Distributed_GIS/pTd29LG5">distributed GIS</a>. The most common application of Web GIS is <a href="/facts/Web_mapping/NLCTRoQm">Web mapping</a>, so much so that the two terms are often used interchangeably in much the same way as between <a href="/facts/Digital_mapping/KRd1GyUm">digital mapping</a> and GIS. However, Web GIS and web mapping are distinct concepts, with web mapping not necessarily requiring a Web GIS.
The use of the Web has dramatically increased the effectiveness of both accessing and distributing spatial data, two of the most significant challenges of desktop GIS. Many functions, such as interactivity, and dynamic scaling, are made widely available to end users by web services. The scale of the Web can sometimes make finding quality and reliable data a challenge for GIS professionals and end users, with a significant amount of low-quality, poorly organized, or poorly sourced material available for public consumption. This can make finding spatial data a time consuming activity for GIS users.

Web GIS open-in-new

Web GIS