Question 4: How do we combine geographic information?
If we are combining a number of different geographic information themes together, they may be from different sources, in different formats and covering different study areas. Therefore, we need to use a system to deal with the disparate sources and organize them so that they can be combined.
A Geographic Information System does just that. It is a tool for the input of different geographical information themes so that they can be stored, organized, displayed and analyzed. It uses geography as the common denominator between separate themes so that they can be combined. Its purpose is to provide answers to questions based on geographical data.