Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Plumas County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a division of Plumas County's Planning Services. GIS develops, maintains and distributes spatial information to aid in the creation of maps and data analysis to support County departments and their customers.

GIS, a computer system capable of holding and using data describing places on the earth's surface, is a resource for mapping or performing land based analysis. One of the advantages GIS provides is the ability to assist in the decision-making process by providing an additional tool to analyze and compare numerous geographic data layers along with traditional databases.

Although a GIS can create attractive maps, it is not "map-maker" software. The map is typically the result of the analysis performed on data or questions posed such as: 

Location - "Where is it?

Condition - "What is at…"

Trends - "What has changed since…"

Patterns - "What spatial patterns exist?"

Modeling - "What if…"

To answer these questions, the appropriate data must be entered into the GIS. The data in a GIS is created in what are called GIS Layers. Each layer represents a group of common information. Some examples of GIS Layers that are used in the GIS of Plumas County include: parcels, roads, address points, the general plan, special districts, zoning, railroads, political boundaries, precinct data, and much more.