INTEGRATING GIS AND CYBERSECURITY: SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE RISK AND RESILIENCE

Abstract

As digital networks become increasingly intertwined with physical infrastructure, cybersecurity must account for location, interdependence, and operational context. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide a valuable framework by integrating spatial, attribute, and temporal data within a single analytical environment. This article presents a structured literature review of GIS-enabled cybersecurity research, focusing on critical infrastructure, smart cities, and resilience planning. The review synthesizes peer-reviewed studies, technical standards, and selected institutional materials to examine how GIS supports threat visualization, vulnerability assessment, dependency mapping, situational awareness, governance, and risk communication. The review suggests that GIS is most valuable where cyber risk has clear spatial, infrastructural, and operational dimensions, particularly in critical infrastructure protection and urban cyber-physical systems. However, the evidence base remains uneven. Visualization and situational awareness applications are relatively mature, while ontology-based modeling, blockchain-based trust, and some AI-driven functions remain emerging and require further operational validation. The article also argues that GIS platforms should be treated as strategic digital assets requiring dedicated cybersecurity protection and concludes with implications for secure GIS governance and future research on geospatially informed resilience frameworks.