From the site: "The Cuyahoga County Geographic Information Systems Department manages and coordinates the use of GIS and its related technologies within Cuyahoga County. A GIS is defined as an advanced computer system capable of collecting, storing, viewing, and analyzing geographically referenced or spatial information. 'Geographically Referenced' or 'Spatial' simply means that the information can be viewed on a map and analyzed based on location and proximity. Examples of mapped places can include an address, a property parcel, a named place such as a park or neighborhood, a census block, a zip code, or a city. By taking information stored in spreadsheets & tabular databases and displaying & analyzing it on a map, a GIS becomes a powerful tool that directly supports the specialized needs of practitioners engaged in, among many others, the following fields:"