Application of GIS to geomorphological research on Mars

In planetary geomorphology, the use of printed images and topographic maps was standard practice until the late 1980s, but the availability of low-cost computers stimulated the propagation of digital data analyses in the 1990s. In the present-day research environment, Geographic Information Systems（GIS）are becoming increasingly important. This is due in large part to the explosive increase of data sent by an armada of spacecraft observing Mars. The future development of GIS in research on planetary surfaces might involve more extensive use of the Internet and introduction of virtual reality technology