When maps that show different information regarding the same area are made, it constitutes a geographical information system. Computer technology is greatly advancing the cost of examining large areas. Activities such as information manipulation, digitization, map reproduction, and interpretation are steps in the GIS that help generate accurate information on a real-time basis. The data that is manipulated by a computer is very cheap and user friendly. Maps can be scaled up or down. In addition, information can be put into tables that make it suitable for repeated analysis, decision-making, and project design. Despite the inability of information systems to produce information on a cartographic quality, the information generated is of importance to teams that analyze and plan on mitigation techniques (Johannes 61).

One of the processes involved in an Information System is data input. It encompasses data from spatial maps, remote sensors, and several other sources that can be transformed into digital format. The devices used include keyboards, digitizers, interactive terminals, scanners, and CCTS. Digitizing is the best data input option because it is the cheapest yet simplest option. The two data types that must be information in a GIS are geographic references and attributes. References refer to the coordinates of the area. Attributes are the numerical codes that refer to each cell or group of coordinates in the area (Altamimi 47).

The next step is the storage of the collected data on the volcanic or earthquake zone. Storage refers to the way in which data is organized and structured within the information system. The organization can be done on the basis of location, attribute design, or interrelationship. Computer systems allow the storage of large amounts of data since such can be stored in hard disks as well as portable diskettes.&nbsp.Data regarding earthquake or volcanic zones can be manipulated and processed. Processing allows the researcher to see the operations that are necessary to eliminate errors and update datasets.&nbsp.