GIS applications in the field of tourism goes back several years. Tourists can now rely on maps and other GIS related material to find their way around the world. Below are some of the applications of GIS in tourism.
1. Personality Atlas:
Assigning personality stereotypes to countries around the world based on a sample size of global population’s perspectives.
2. Tourist Map
Plotting out landmarks in tourist maps. GIS has also been instrumental in plotting out maps for various locations across the globe. This way, tourists are able to find their way into various locations.
3. Sunrise and Sunset
Finding the perfect sunrise and sunset during at any given location. Using GIS, tourists are able to locate the perfect sunrise and sunset and capture the best moments using this technology.
4. Subway Map
Simplifying maps for the reader to better understand such as the lines of a subway map in high contrasting colors.
5. Linear Referencing
Using linear referencing along shorelines to track volumes of organic debris.
6. Off-Beaten Tracks
Finding the off-beaten track for backpackers and marking its position with 3 words.
7. Safe Travel
Advising travelers where unsafe location are on a map.
8. Tourism Dollars
Tracking the exports of purchased goods and services using desire lines.
9. Sustainable Tourism Planning
Identifying conflicting interests from tourism and solving issues by examining suitable locations for proposed developments.
10. Hotel Search
Searching geographically for five star hotels using a circle radius.
11. Horizon Blockage
Calculating the horizon blocking line in all directions from a given observation point with gvSIG’s Horizon Blockage.
12. Travel Mode Detection
Detecting travel mode (walk, car, bus, subway and commuter rail) from a multi-modal transportation network using GIS and GPS in New York City.
13. Finding Islands
Using satellite to find uninhabited islands around the world – Landsat found Landsat Island near the coast of Canada.
14. Time Zones
Representing time zones around the world. GIS can also be used to represent time zones across all areas in the world. Tourists can then use this information to know what time it is wherever they are going.
15. Eco-Tourism Site Selection
Gauging environmental impacts for sustainable eco-tourism sites. GIS can also help in gauging the impact of environmental occurrences.
16. Virtual Travel
Seeing your destination before physically being there. Through virtual travel, tourists are also able to view their destination and see how it looks before actually getting to the destination.
17. Geo-tagging
Discover places with 360 panoramic camera views.
18. Highway Planning
Constructing viewpoints with multiple layers like ecology, topography and cultural features for a three-dimensional visual highway.
19. Virtual Arctic
Exploring the Arctic in Google Street View without getting out of your chair.
20. 3D Synthetic Scene
Overlaying synthetic scenes over real scene.
21. Yellowstone
Putting all the pieces together in a GIS database at Yellowstone National Park including its geologic past, geyser recharge and seismic activity.
22. Trip Planning
Adventuring around for your next road trip with pit stops and offbeat using suggested sites.
23. Observer Points
Calculating visibility through multiple observer points.
24. Historic Street View
Time-travelling in the past to see just how much a location has changed over time with historic street view.