ABSTRACT
Geographic information systems (GISs) are becoming more commonplace throughout the world. The ability of a GIS to integrate data from a satellite with data digitized from a sheet map is one of its strengths. The ability to draw upon and integrate disparate spatial data is the single most significant characteristic of a GIS. One of the most common methods of exploiting the capabilities of a GIS is through a methodology generally labelled as cartographic modeling. This methodology combines query processing with the expressive power of maps. The Comprehensive Resource Inventory and Evaluation System (CRIES) GIS has been used to develop agricultural potential and resource management policies. By contrast, the CRIES-GIS system is based more on the genre of microcomputing GISs that are derived from early remote-sensing or image-processing systems. The CRIES-GIS is one of the better examples of state-of-the-art operational microcomputer-based GIS technology that is being established in the developing world.
