One of the hottest high-tech tools these days is GIS, or geographic information systems, a group of computer applications that takes map-making into a new dimension.

GIS is used in the oil and gas industry, land use planning, mineral exploration, wildlife management, environmental studies, and in less obvious fields like compiling a First Nation's traditional knowledge about the land.

Canadian Wildlife Service biologist Jim Hawkings uses GIS to make sense of decades of data related to the movements of birds and animals in the Yukon and their use of habitat.

"A geographic information system is simply a way of storing, analyzing, retrieving, and displaying map-based information," he explains. "A map is actually a geographic information system. It's just a rather limited one."

GIS software links databases with geographic information. It can create traditional maps with a variety of information shown on them, or it can create maps with only the information required for a specific purpose.

"Satellite images can be overlaid on the map to give it a real-life look, or to show information like vegetation distribution that can be retrieved from the images," Hawkings says.

The key to GIS is the amount of information entered into the system's database, and the power of GIS is revealed when large amounts of information are entered into the database.

For example, existing information about the northern Yukon includes several decades of data on the movements of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, migratory birds, moose, grizzly bears, wolves, muskoxen, and other animals. Satellite and aerial images of the land show vegetation distribution and seasonal changes, snow cover, water levels in lakes, rivers, and wetlands, and human land use.

Without the aid of computers running GIS software, it would be impractical or impossible to analyze all the potential relationships included in that mass of information. However, once the data is entered into the system, GIS can quickly display any amount and combination of information.

You could, for example, display the results of several years of moose surveys on a map of the northern Yukon. If the movement patterns show that moose appear to favour a particular location, you might zoom in on that location and display vegetation information on the same map in order to see what attracts them to the spot.

Do other animals depend on the same vegetation and habitat? Displaying the recorded observations of other animals might reveal a habitat that is critical to the survival of a number of species.

"GIS offers a new way to look at how animals interact with their habitat," says Hawkings.

It can also be used to look at how humans interact with their environment. Many First Nations are using GIS to record traditional land use and to develop baseline information for future land use. In fact, all levels of government, from municipal to federal, are entering land use data into GIS databases in order to make future planning easier.

"The beauty of GIS is that it's not just a map. Many other kinds of information can be included," says Hawkings. "You can look at as much as you want or as little as you want."

However, GIS isn't a magic wand or an easy solution to land use planning or wildlife management, the biologist warns. The effective use of GIS depends on careful planning, and human minds still have to determine the meaning of the patterns GIS reveals.

"GIS is a very powerful tool," says Hawkings, "but people should be aware that successfully using GIS technology requires careful planning, training, and resources. It is not a trivial matter."

For more information about GIS technology, contact Jim Hawkings at Environment Canada in Whitehorse or check out one of the many GIS-related sites on the Internet, such as http://www.hdm.com/gis3.htm. In addition, Yukon College offers a university-level course in Geographic Information Systems.