Digital mapping is the process of converting images and other types of geographic data into a dynamic, flexible, digital format using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) procedures. The GIS framework makes it possible to combine images with survey data, field measurements, and other map information, and facilitates the sharing and broad distribution of digital information and analyses across the Internet.
	Remote sensing is a suite of techniques used to gather information about the earth’s land, ocean and atmosphere. This is typically done with cameras, scanners, radar and other imaging devices on orbiting satellites or aircraft. The pictures and data collected by these instruments can reveal the growing impacts of human activity on the planet: deforestation, urban growth, mining, energy exploration, agriculture, and pollution.