Geographic Information Systems Applications in the Tourism Planning of Archaeological Sites in Fatimid Cairo

Abstract

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is one of the modern methods that contributed extensively to facilitating the tasks and performance of planners during decisions related to the development or analysis of a particular problem with a spatial dimension, and this technique has been used in many different scientific fields such as the study of the distribution of services, analysis of land uses, or the division of transportation. The paper aims to highlight the benefits of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in tourism planning, identify the basic stages of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications in tourism planning, and to identify the importance of using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the tourism planning of archaeological sites in Fatimid Cairo. This study was based on a descriptive analytical approach and the field survey method was applied in the sample method to reach conclusions that serve the objectives of the study. This study was finalized by several results, most notably: The need to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in documenting the monuments by transferring all images, data and written inscriptions on them and illustrating them through pictures and videos, to form a database to be available to the tourist, researcher and planner. The planning of archaeological sites using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in the study area (Fatimid Cairo), saves time and effort by relying on aerial and space images and topographic maps with high accuracy and conducting analysis and reaching accurate results in a very short period, compared to the time required using traditional methods.