GIS

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GIS

• PROS AND CONS
• Impossible to actually visit these places so its
  the only way to accurately examine and research
  planetary data.
• New discoveries are constantly being made and it
  is an ever expanding field as new missions are
  currently enroute and being planned.
• Little in the way of major geographic discoveries
  have been made in the last 50 years. New ones are
  being made in the cosmos every day.
• While analyzing the data in GIS is very cheap,
  obtaining the data is not as it must be done
  through costly satellite and lander missions
  which can end in complete failure.
• A lot of conclusions are merely speculative and
  are not completely certain.
• But thats all the more reason to research it
  further!

IN SPACE!
By CJ Sindler
MAPS OF OTHER WORLDS Ever wonder what it would
look like to see a landscape on Mars from the
surface? Mountains taller than any on Earth vast
sweeping plains of nothing but scattered rocks,
all that rusty red. To see this in person youd
have to be part of the first expeditions to the
planet, but you can get darned close with
GIS. GIS has been the main tool for years of
researchers of planetary bodies other than earth.
Just as there are people constantly updating and
improving geographical data of Earth, there are
others focusing on making more complete
geographical data sets of other planets and
moons. Geodesists try to make more accurate
models of the shape of planetary bodies. Other
researchers are at work taking the data from
satellite missions and transforming them into
maps that are easy to read. Planetary GIS is by
nature a very exciting and constantly expanding
field.
Above Perspective view of Mars made from
combining images with topography maps
THE FUTURE The future for planetary GIS is for
all intensive purposes, limitless. New data is
always becoming available as new missions are
completed. The United States has already
expressed interest in a mission to Mars. This
will require careful speculation for landing
sites and sites where a surface investigation
will yield useful information. Recently there has
also been talk of missions back to the moon both
by countries and private companies. The idea of
moon-bases is not merely science fiction. Many
valuable resources exist on the moon including
vast deposits of titanium and possible ice caps.
GIS will play a key role in all of these
endeavors. So if you are a fan of both geography
and astronomy, a job in planetary GIS could be
just what you are looking for. The potential is
as large as the universe itself.
Right Shaded relief map of Mars (blue is lowest)
THE DATABASE USGSs Astrogeology Research Program
prides itself on making its data and maps
available to anyone who wants to view them. The
Planetary Interactive GIS on-the-web Analyzable
Database (PIGWAD) is available via the
departments main website astrogeology.usgs.gov.
In PIGWAD you can find all sorts of interactive
maps of many planets and even some moons like
Titan and Europa. The database even has data sets
which plug directly into GIS software!
SOURCES Astrogeology Research Program,
astrogeology.usgs.gov Background Image,
http//www.nasa.gov/images/content/133520main_alie
ns-planets-browse.jpg