The quaint village of Falciano del Massico in southern Italy is one of the few places in the world where "dying is against the law." Aside from the fact that the village has no cemetery of its own, it's also in a long-standing feud with nearby Mondragone that runs a nearby cemetery. The lack of property to build a dedicated cemetery is proving to be a challenge for the local government.

Statistics from the Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook indicates that eight out of every 1,000 people in the U.S. die yearly. It means that more than 200 million deaths fill the country's cemeteries every year from Florida to Hawaii. Managing a large number of coffins for burial in their final resting place can prove to be a logistical nightmare for cemetery personnel. You have to make sure that all the dead rest in peace.

What you need is an apt mapping system that can track every grave within the vicinity, as well as plot out plans for future expansion. Such software designed to ease the load on cemetery management is now available on the market. Just imagine a map of the entire cemetery in your desktop or mobile phone. Curious, isn't it?

Cemetery mapping software runs on an integrated geographical information system (GIS) like ones used to map a larger patch of land. State-of-the-art land surveying equipment helps gather data about the cemetery and sends it to the computer. This allows the cemetery to be mapped out in every detail.

Data from cemetery mapping can also be used by the visitors to locate the graves of their loved ones faster and more efficiently. An interactive map can be shown at the entrance just like the directory at the mall. The system is accurate enough to incorporate data on every grave in the cemetery and also how far they are from each other. You'll be saving your visitors the trouble of walking from grave to grave, and maybe encourage them to visit their deceased loved ones more often.

The combination of on-the-field surveying and the latest cemetery mapping software gets you an organized place for the dead. Technology makes sure your logistical challenges in running a cemetery will be kept in close check. All you need is a patch of land big enough to lay the dead.

To understand how GIS works, whether in making city or cemetery maps, visit SFU.ca and listen to Canada University's Canada's Simon Fraser.