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Distributed GIS
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<p>Distributed GIS refers to <a href="/facts/GIS/PoP1kVoa">GI Systems</a> that do not have all of the system components in the same physical location. This could be the <a href="/facts/Process_(computing)/Vcq7EnUV">processing</a>, the <a href="/facts/Database/VYcpkevb">database</a>, the rendering or the <a href="/facts/User_interface/e9sPEWVD">user interface</a>. It represents a special case of <a href="/facts/Distributed_computing/o5nyhqTF">distributed computing</a>, with examples of distributed systems including <a href="/facts/Internet_GIS/jwFfpe7U">Internet GIS</a>, <a href="/facts/Web_GIS/CEUhn8rd">Web GIS</a>, and <a href="/facts/Mobile_GIS/PoP1kVoa">Mobile GIS</a>. Distribution of resources provides corporate and enterprise-based models for GIS (involving multiple databases, different computers undertaking <a href="/facts/Spatial_analysis/R6rlDzRl">spatial analysis</a> and a diverse ecosystem of often spatially-enabled client devices). Distributed GIS permits a <a href="/facts/Shared_services/LxywP8VU">shared services</a> model, including data fusion (or <a href="/facts/Mashup_(web_application_hybrid)/gn6mpfH9">mashups</a>) based on <a href="/facts/Open_Geospatial_Consortium/uDKbX6Cl">Open Geospatial Consortium</a> (OGC) web services. Distributed GIS technology enables modern online mapping systems (such as <a href="/facts/Google_Maps/cKQ0jaFg">Google Maps</a> and <a href="/facts/Bing_Maps/JP4pugKk">Bing Maps</a>), <a href="/facts/Location-based_services/BXzwkD4d">Location-based services</a> (LBS), web-based GIS (such as ArcGIS Online) and numerous map-enabled applications. Other applications include transportation, <a href="/facts/Logistics/0Hr2w55W">logistics</a>, utilities, farm / agricultural information systems, real-time environmental information systems and the analysis of the movement of people. In terms of data, the concept has been extended to include <a href="/facts/Volunteered_geographic_information/9GQu5hJT">volunteered geographical information</a>. Distributed processing allows improvements to the performance of spatial analysis through the use of techniques such as parallel processing. </p>