Local governments amass much information in the course of providing services. More than 90% of that information is geographical in nature: What streets have been plowed? What is the size of that lot? Where's your voting district?

GIS has the potential for use anywhere that hard-copy maps and records have been used or are being used. GIS has the advantage of allowing quick retrieval of information, and the ability to literally ask questions of the map, depending upon the type of information desired. With access to a GIS computer, a user could call up a GIS map, zoom in on an area of detail and plot the map desired.

Intelligent geographic databases are being created that not only show the location of streets, buildings and properties, but information about them - so called attribute information. This data can assist virtually all departments of local government.

• School districts can show school age populations geographically.
• An assessor's map can include housing stock information.
• Fire and ambulance services can plan the quickest routes to emergency scenes.
• Police can plot crime statistics to identify patterns.
• Public works can inventory streets, plan snow plowing and rubbish collection routes.
• Voting districts can be drawn by voting populations.