In the past, planning projects such as schools or public facilities required extensive manual effort to gather and compile data. Information such as property boundaries, soil characteristics, road networks, zoning regulations, and flood zones had to be sourced individually from courthouses, utility providers, and registry offices. Assembling these datasets into a coherent format often took several months, delaying project timelines.

The introduction of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) transformed this workflow. GIS is a computer-based tool that stores, organizes, and visualizes geographic data, enabling efficient analysis and decision-making. A key innovation within GIS is thematic layering, which divides information into datasets, or layers, based on specific themes, such as property lines, soil types, water bodies, or vegetation. These layers can be overlaid and analyzed together, providing a comprehensive view of the area under consideration.

This capability is particularly valuable in facility planning, where multiple factors must be assessed simultaneously. For example, planners can use GIS to evaluate soil stability concerning property boundaries or to assess flood risks alongside existing infrastructure. Color-coded maps generated by GIS improve clarity, facilitating the simultaneous examination of diverse datasets.

By integrating and automating data management, GIS has significantly reduced the time required for planning and analysis — from months sometimes to hours. This efficiency has made GIS an indispensable tool in modern urban development and infrastructure planning.