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GIS Software Software that is used to create, manage, analyze, and visualize geographic data, that is, data with a reference to a place on Earth, is usually denoted by the umbrella term geographic information system (GIS) software. Typical applications for GIS software include the evaluation of places for the location of new stores; the management of power and gas lines; the creation of maps; the analysis of past crimes for crime prevention; route calculations for transport tasks; the management of forests, parks, and infrastructure such as roads and waterways; and applications in risk analysis of natural hazards and emergency planning and response. For this multitude of applications, different types of GIS functions are required, and different categories of GIS software exist that provide a particular set of functions needed to fulfill certain data management tasks. This entry first explains important GIS software concepts; then it lists the typical tasks To ...