How GIS Benefits McGill Projects — Celebrating GIS Day
The use of geographic information systems (GIS) has become a commonplace data source for many different industries. In fact, GIS has become so important, we now recognize November 17th as GIS Day.
What is GIS and GIS Day?
Specifically, GIS is a computer-based system for capturing, storing, analyzing, and visualizing data related to positions on Earth’s surface. Professionals utilize this technology to monitor and understand highly dynamic environments and make better decisions to serve local communities and the world at large. For GIS Day we want to share the real-world applications of GIS that are making a difference in our society.
Dramatic advancements in computing power and the massive growth in geospatial high-quality data availability has taken GIS to a new level where it is being widely applied across different research fields and industries, including transportation planning and control, utility network design and management, climate monitoring and forecasting, emergency operations and hazard mitigation, agricultural production, marketing, and much more.
How McGill Utilizes GIS Technology
At McGill, GIS is essential for almost every project we work on and in most of our practice areas. This tool is essential for improved communication between the project team and clients as more detailed visualizations and maps can spur questions and improve storytelling; and for better record keeping as this technology is always improving and can provide up-to-date physical layouts in greater detail. Our professionals work diligently to stay informed with the most recent advancements and leverage rich mapping applications with their engineering tasks to serve and shape communities.
Dori Sabeh, PE, GISP, is a senior project manager in McGill’s water resources practice area. He is one of our professionally certified personnel in GIS who has a talent and passion for this technology. Dori is able to see the intricacies of how GIS impacts McGill and our projects. In applying it in his daily work, he finds that the major benefit of GIS is that it allows us to analyze spatial data to identify trends, impacts, or correlation between various components of a project, such as the effect of hydrologic changes on the ecosystem or flood improvements gained from a proposed solution. It also allows the team to visually convey results of the analysis to and receive feedback from the public through clear thematic and interactive maps.
“In addition to the analytical benefits of GIS, I appreciate how GIS enhances the interaction and collaboration between the design team, public, and various stakeholders to reach equitable and inclusive solutions,” Dori explains.
Learn More
As an engineering firm, McGill is always looking for the most innovative technology to improve our processes and projects. GIS technology is ever changing and consistently provides our projects with the necessary data to meet the needs of our clients. If you have a project that may benefit from our services, please reach out to us at info@mcgillassociates.com.