Final answer:
The mapping tool used to illustrate data is GIS (Geographic Information Systems), an indispensable tool in cartography and geographical science for communicating and manipulating spatial data.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mapping tool used to illustrate data is GIS (Geographic Information Systems). GIS is a powerful tool that geographers utilize to communicate spatial data about the Earth's surface and to answer geographic questions. It allows for the analysis of spatial data, letting geographers ask specific questions, such as "How much are these clustered in this city?" to answer broader questions like, "Are these businesses truly competing?"
GIS plays a critical role in cartography and geospatial techniques, helping to communicate geographic features, distributions, and relationships. It is more than just a tool; it's an indispensable part of modern geographical science, permitting the illustration, management, and manipulation of data in a way that's spatial and intuitive. Such tools are necessary for geographers to create different types of maps to answer geographic questions, infer relationships, and analyze changes.