Geoinformation is an indispensable source of information for planning and decision-making in business, science and administration today and in the future. As our environment is subject to constant changes that need to be documented and the demand for accuracy is constantly increasing, the volume and complexity of data relating to spatial information is constantly growing.

MEASURING
The first step is to obtain raw data, in particular to measure the earth's surface and the objects on it, such as houses and roads. Different techniques are used depending on the size and accessibility of the area to be surveyed. One option is to use state-of-the-art equipment to determine reference values such as distances, angles and height differences between clearly defined points directly on the earth's surface; another is to first record the earth from an airplane or satellite and then derive the desired information from the images taken.

IMAGING
Since people can hardly imagine a large amount of spatial data in the form of numbers and attributes as a result of surveying, this data must first be converted into a vivid form. It is the task of cartography to process and evaluate this information in order to visualize it so that the user can gain as accurate an idea and knowledge as possible of past, present or planned reality. The scaled representation of measured quantities on a map has been in use for several centuries. In addition, geographic information systems (GIS) have become established in recent years, which not only serve the purpose of pure representation, but also help to manage and analyze the data.

APPLICATION
Last but not least, the information obtained should of course also be put to good use. Here are some examples of applications from different areas:

• Reorganization of land ownership
• Staking out and monitoring construction projects
• Preparation of land use plans, landscape plans, development plans and green structure plans
• Orientation with the help of analog or digital maps

The surveying and cadastre departments in the municipal. Eigenbetrieb Salzgitter Grundstücksentwicklung record, present and archive spatial information and make it available to the organizational units of the administration and to citizens in the form of maps and data collections as a uniform basis for municipal tasks. The online city map (opens in a new tab) of Salzgitter with its diverse search functions is also a service provided by the city's own company Salzgitter Grundstücksentwicklung. Eigenbetrieb Salzgitter Grundstücksentwicklung.