GIS definitions

A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. 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.
Gis.com/content/what-gis

A geographic information system (GIS), or geospatial information system is any system that captures, stores, analyzes, manages, and presents data that are linked to location. In the simplest terms, GIS is the merging of cartography, statistical analysis, and database technology. GIS systems are used in cartography, remote sensing, land surveying, utility management, natural resource management, photogrammetry, geography, urban planning, emergency management, navigation, and localized search engines.
Wikipedia.org/gis

Mobile GIS (geographical information system) is the use of geographic data in the field on mobile devices. It's an evolution of how the enterprise database is used and managed within an organization. Mobile GIS integrates three essential components; Global Positioning System (GPS), rugged handheld computers, and GIS software.
Trimble.com/mobilegis

The similarities between these definitions are that they all use the same meaning for the acronym for GIS. The first two definitions are from educational web sites and the third is from a company that makes GIS tools. The educational definitions are very similar using the same terminology like capturing, managing and analyzing. They both refer to maps or cartography. The differences are that the Wikipedia definition seems to be the most descriptive giving us examples of what GIS is used for and gives us the alternate term “geospatial”. The Trimble definition gives us a real world example of the three components to using mobile GIS in the field, talking about hardware and software. The GIS.com definition, also refers to soft and hardware and is the simplest and the closest to the class definition. This tells us that GIS is a relatively broad term that can have varying definitions and functions in real world applications.