| The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of the steps involved in the development of a geographical information system (GIS) incorporating many GIS technologies such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS), ArcView, ARC/INFO, AutoCAD Map, and CAD Overlay Release 14 programs. The creation of cultural and physical layers yielded a completed base map consisting of nine coverages: geomorphology, shoreline changes, bathymetry, hydrology, vegetation and wildlife, aboriginal settlement, nineteenth-century settlement, twentieth-century development, and twenty-first-century development. The Deer Island GIS exists as an AutoCAD Map drawing and can be exported as an ArcView shapefile (SHP) or an ARC/INFO file (INFO), depending on user preference. GIS is dynamic; therefore, the Deer Island GIS can continue to be developed through improvements and updates. The Deer Island GIS is the foundation upon which spatial patterns and historical trends are identified and future analysis can be conducted for many years to come. |
