A geographic information system (GIS) captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that is linked to location. Technically, GIS is geographic information systems which includes mapping software and its application with remote sensing, land surveying, aerial photography, mathematics, photogrammetry, geography, and tools that can be implemented with GIS software.

In the strictest sense, the term describes any information system that integrates stores, edits, analyzes, shares, and displays geographic information. In a more generic sense, GIS applications are tools that allow users to create interactive queries (user created searches), analyze spatial information, edit data, maps, and present the results of all these operations. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIS)

GIS is a rapidly growing technological field that incorporates graphical features with tabular data in order to assess real-world problems. GIS operates on many levels.  On the most basic level, GIS is used as computer cartography, i.e. mapping. The real power in GIS is through using spatial and statistical methods to analyze attribute and geographic information.  The end result of the analysis can be derivative information, interpolated information or prioritized information. (http://gislounge.com/what-is-gis/)

GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.
A GIS helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at your data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared. (http://www.gis.com/whatisgis/)

Disaster Management throughout the world has become a discipline unto itself as people worldwide attempt to gain greater control over their environment and circumstances. The stages in disaster management as identified by Greene(2002) involve identification and planning, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Everyday risks, if not identified properly stand to become disastrous and the identification and assessment of risk in order to reduce the probability of disasters have become the first important challenge in disaster management.

After the initial identification and assessment of risks the emphasis shifts towards the analysis and estimation of potential and actual damage to life, assets and productivity. This function assists management to assign priorities as to the allocation of funding and manpower. The main objective of these tasks are to further disaster preparedness and to formulate response strategies.

The power of GIS lies within its ability to answer questions posed in analyzing trends and displaying geographical data for managerial purposes. “GIS can display the location, size, value and significance of assets. It can show the kinds of environmental, atmospheric, and other conditions that give rise to a particular kind of disaster. When this kind of geographic depiction is drawn, the choices about what to do and where to do it are appreciably clarified for those choices.” (Greene:2002) GIS in Disaster Management is not only an analytical tool but also a problem solving and decision making tool. Furthermore GIS act as consolidator of various kinds of data, spatial and non spatial, and is the best equipped tool for visualization of an emergency situation.

In South Africa the governments response to disaster management has led to the promulgation of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002. The Act calls for a “significantly strengthened capacity to track, collate, monitor and disseminate information on  phenomena and activities...” The South African government goes further to identify disaster management systems and states that” A key to having good information systems is to invest in mechanisms and capacity for surveillance, monitoring and evaluation”. GIS plays a central role in the development of the National Disaster Management Center's (NDMC) enhanced National Disaster Management Information System (NDMIS). The system relates to various aspects such as Hazard Analysis, Vulnerability Assessment, Contingency Planning, Reporting Systems as well as Early Warning Systems