A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer system for capturing, storing, querying, analyzing, and displaying geographic data. Since its beginning, GIS has been important in natural resource management, such as land use planning, timber management, wildlife habitat analysis, riparian zone monitoring, and natural hazard assessment. In more recent years the range of GIS applications has broadened to include emergency planning, market analysis, facilities management, and transportation planning. GIS has become a mainstream information system, specializing in information that has a geographic or spatial component.