The requirement to know where things are, where they are in relation to other things, and where we and other people are in relation to them, is a fundamental human need.
Many products exist to meet this need, ranging from maps and compasses to satellite navigation receivers.
The discipline that addresses the above need and deals with collecting, managing, processing and using geospatial data (data related to a place on the earth) is referred to as Geo-Information Science.
Some of the technologies associated with this science are Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
Many of these technologies are combined to deliver powerful, integrated business applications and tools for valuable decision support.
The increasing ease of use is lowering barriers to technology and empowering users to e.g. perform sophisticated spatial analysis through interactive mapping on the Internet.
The move in focus from mere technology to integrated decision support is the reason for our directorate’s name change from Corporate Geographic Information to Corporate Geo-Informatics.
The name change was implemented towards the end of 2006 and confirms our commitment to adapt to a changing environment and user requirements. Kindly note the following important rules about our directorate’s name:
- We always spell out the full name on letterheads
- We always spell out the full name on first reference in documents or letters with the acronym behind it in brackets, i.e. Corporate Geo-Informatics (CGIS)
- We never write our name as Corporate GIS or C Geo-Informatics or any variation of these
- We always use a hyphen, whether our directorate’s name is written in sentence case (i.e. capital first letter of each word and lower case letters for the rest of the word) or capital letters, i.e. Corporate Geo-Informatics or CORPORATE GEO-INFORMATICS.
- The word “directorate” always comes at the end of our name, not in front, i.e. the Corporate Geo-Informatics directorate.
We trust that our customers will welcome our new corporate image and our focus on geospatial decision support.
Marcelle Hattingh Director: Corporate Geo-Informatics
