What is GIS Technology?
Posted by gisinvestor on July 10, 2006
The Next Advance in Real Estate Investing:
Geographic Information Systems and Satellite Imaging
Article by Sara Duckett and Larry Haines, President of BPI Management, Inc. and GM of MyPropertyLeads.com
Investing in Gulf Coast real estate can be very profitable but it is vitally important that the potential properties be analyzed using the most current and specific data available. Louisiana investment property is plentiful after Hurricane Katrina and the investor needs the best information at his fingertips in order to identify the most profitable deals and which ones he needs to stay away from.
What is GIS? Geographic information system. The storing, manipulating, analyzing, and displaying of data in a geographic context. Simply put, you use data to make maps.
Maps made by earliest man have been discovered across the globe. Even though they have been used for centuries, maps have remained basically the same. They are drawings or representations of how to get from one place to another or interpretations of what the mapmaker saw and recorded at a set time.
However, it is only in recent decades that the technology has existed to combine satellite imagery and maps with computer graphics and databases to create geographic information systems or GIS. This technology has changed mapping forever.
How do investors make money with maps? GIS mapping capability is very important to investors considering Gulf Coast real estate. MyPropertyLeads.com offers property leads and very specific data that can be layered onto satellite imagery that will show the investor what they are buying. GIS can answer questions such as; Is this property in the flood plain? Is this property close to public transportation? How close are the retail areas and schools so that the investor can determine the potential marketability of their purchase. GIS mapping with good data can take the guesswork out of doing due diligence on Louisiana investment property. Each layer of information (or theme) will be extremely helpful in determining the desirability of a property and its potential value.
Analyzing spatial data tied to a relational database is what GIS is used for and this is what gives this technology its power. Many unique databases can be drawn from to create maps and the information layers. Data can then be referenced from the maps. GIS databases including social, geographic, demographic and environmental among others can be dynamically updated and loaded into the associated map giving the user completely up-to-date information.
The bottom line is that investing in real estate for a profit is a great way to make a living IF you buy the right deal at the right price in the right location at the right time. GIS helps investors make the right decisions using the most up to date technology and data.
For an e-copy of this article with color photos and images, please e-mail: info@MyPropertyLeads.com. Visit: www.MyPropertyLeads.com for more information or call: 1.877.777.8440.
