Introduction
Any information that can assist in understanding the places of Scotland and the people who live there is 
Geographic Information. When people think about geography they will often visualise a road map or world atlas. But geographic, or spatial, information involves much more than this.
Geographic Information is composed of information about Spaces, Places and Faces.
- Spaces: any representation of a physical geographic object that can be defined on a map, such as rivers, streets or administrative areas and boundaries.
- Places: all address information and postcodes along with textual information on place names.
- Faces: information on the people, either past, present or projected, within a certain area.
As technological applications that use geographic information become more advanced, and use of the internet becomes more widespread, members of the public are increasing accessing spaces, places and faces information. Whether it be using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to get directions when driving, or viewing satellite images of your neighbourhood on the internet, or searching for information on where your ancestors had lived, or checking the weather forecast - the use of geographic information is a common part of everyday life.
It is estimated that at least 80% of government information has a geographic basis. Therefore the effective and consistent use of geographic information is crucial in delivering better, more efficient, cost-effective and responsive public services. Cost-benefit analysis on investment in more coordinated geographic information systems within public sector bodies has projected that every unit of investment generates a net benefit of between four and five and a half units. In other words public investment in geographic information systems can generate large efficiency saving.