A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing spatially-referenced data.  Spatially-referenced data are any types of information that can be mapped or "geocoded" (such as addresses, political boundaries, transportation networks, rivers, satellite imagery, utility systems, field observations, or anything with a specific location component).  Applications of GIS are growing rapidly in many areas such as marketing, environmental assessment and management, public utilities, cartography, forestry, emergency management, real estate, public health, global change, historic preservation, resource management, crime analysis, military, facilities planning, agriculture, transportation, wildlife management, economic development,  retail site selection, and urban & regional planning to name just a few.

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Overview of GIS

• What is GIS? (from ESRI)                                       http://www.gis.com/whatisgis/index.html  -- may require Microsoft Internet Explorer    
• What is a GIS?  (from ESRI, PowerPoint slides)       http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~ziehr/GIS/whatisgis.pdf
• General overview of GIS (from USGS)                     http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/gis_poster/ 
• Example:  Identifying Potential Landfill Sites              http://www.cast.uark.edu/local/gis/landfill.html

Online GIS Applications

• American FactFinder (U.S. Census Bureau) -- http://factfinder.census.gov/
• ATMs (find and map the nearest ATMs anywhere in the world) http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global/jsp/SearchPage.jsp
• BirdSource (map bird species)   http://www.birdsource.org/
• Congressional Apportionment, 1940-2000 -- a geographic overview http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~ziehr/apportionment/index.htm
• David Rumsey Historical Map Collection  -- http://www.davidrumsey.com/
• Envirofacts (environmental data and maps from EPA)  http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/em/  
• EPA's Toxic Release Inventory System (Search by ZIP Code--demo from ESRI) http://maps.esri.com/ESRI/mapobjects/toxicweb/toxic.htm
• Geography Network  (ESRI's portal to a global community of online data providers)     http://www.geographynetwork.com/
• Godiva Chocolate (U.S. store locator)   http://godiva.geoserve.com/forms/godiva.htm
• HomeTownLocator (data, maps, and aerial photos)  http://www.hometownlocator.com/
  
• InfoRain -- Bioregional Information System for the North American Rainforest Coast     http://www.inforain.org/
• MapQuest (online street maps and driving directions) http://www.mapquest.com/
• MapsOnUs (online street maps)  http://mapsonus.com/
• MetroMap (Portland, OR metro area) -- map & query land data    http://www.metro-region.org/pssp.cfm?ProgServID=102
  
• MSN Maps & Directions (online street maps and driving directions from MSN)  http://mappoint.msn.com/
• National Atlas (U.S.) Online, Interactive Map Browser  http://www.nationalatlas.gov/natlas/Natlasstart.asp
  
• National Center for Health Statistics, GIS and Public Health, Atlas of U.S. Mortality    http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/otheract/gis/gis_atnchs.htm  
  
• National Wetlands Inventory Center  -- wetlands interactive mapper   http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov/ 
  
• North Dakota Groundwater Pesticide Assessment -- identify areas suspectible to groundwater contamination    http://www.ageng.ndsu.nodak.edu/pest
• NSU Students from Oklahoma, 2000-2001 -- a cartographic analysis http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~ziehr/NSUstudents/
• Realtor.com (find a home on the web)    http://www.realtor.com/
• Rocky Mountain Mapping Center: Wildfire Support Team -- wildland fire support; active fireline and fire perimeter maps   http://wildfire.usgs.gov/
• Surf Your Watershed (make maps of various features within a waterhshed--from EPA) http://www.epa.gov/surf/
• TerraServer-USA (aerial photos & topo. maps for U.S. and some international locations)   http://www.terraserver-usa.com/  
• Vegetation Growth in the U.S. --animated map (requires Shockwave) http://www.nationalatlas.gov/dynamic/dyn_green.html 
  
• Web Atlas of Oklahoma (an extensive collection of interactive thematic maps)  http://www.okatlas.org/ 
  
• Xpeditions (National Geographic) -- includes several GIS applications in the Xpedition Hall  http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/hall/ 
  
• Zebra Mussel Distribution--animated map (requires Shockwave)   http://www.nationalatlas.gov/dynamic/dyn_zm.html  

Free GIS Software

• ArcExplorer (lightweight GIS data explorer from ESRI) http://www.esri.com/software/arcexplorer/index.html
• ArcReader (free, easy-to-use mapping application that allows users to view, explore, and print maps and globes from ESRI) http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcreader/index.html 
  
• BASINS (Better Assessment Science Integrating Point and Nonpoint Sources)-- for watershed analysis (from EPA)  http://www.epa.gov/ostwater/basins/
  
• Google Earth (combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to put the world's geographic information at your fingertips)    http://earth.google.com/  
  
• GRASS -- a raster-based GIS, vector GIS, image processing system, and spatial modeling system  http://www.geog.uni-hannover.de/grass/index.php  
  
• NASA World Wind  (lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth)   http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/index.html 
  

GIS Resources

• Community Atlas project (teachers and students define the nature of "their community" and post descriptions and maps about it) http://www.esri.com/industries/k-12/atlas/index.html
• Earthshots:  satellite (LANDSAT) images of environmental change from USGS -- great teaching tool http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/earthshots/slow/tableofcontents
• ESRI Virtual Campus:  GIS Education and Training on the Web    http://campus.esri.com/
• Geo Information Systems (applied research unit of the Sarkeys Energy Center at OU)    http://www.geo.ou.edu/
• Geography at about.com (great source for anything related to geography)    http://geography.about.com/
• Geography Network -- online resource for geographic content and data  http://www.geographynetwork.com/
• GEOG 3813:  Geographic Information Systems at NSU http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~ziehr/courses/geog3813/
• GIS Lounge    (extensive links to many types of GIS sources and applications)    http://gislounge.com/
• GIS.com--"your Internet guide to geographic information systems" http://www.gis.com/
• GIS Data Depot  (free GIS data)  http://data.geocomm.com/    
• Global GIS (a GIS of the world at a nominal scale of 1:1 million from USGS and ESRI)  http://webgis.wr.usgs.gov/globalgis/
• GPS - Global Positioning System (simple overview) - GPS module from the Southern California Integrated GPS Network  http://scign.jpl.nasa.gov/learn/gps.htm
• GPS - Global Positioning System (more detailed overview) - Global Positioning System Overvew from The Geographer's Craft at the University of Texas, Austin  http://www.colorado.Edu/geography/gcraft/notes/gps/gps_f.html
• Learning Web (a portion of the USGS web dedicated to K-12 education) http://www.usgs.gov/education/
• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, GIS Data Deli http://deli.dnr.state.mn.us/
• My Community, Our Earth --students apply geographic methods and propose solutions for sustainable development issues in their communities  http://www.geography.org/sustainable/index.html
• National Database of GIS Data    http://www.cast.uark.edu/local/catalog/national/
• Oklahoma Center for Geospatial Information     http://www.ocgi.okstate.edu/
• Oklahoma State GIS Council     http://okmaps.onenet.net/ 
• Outreach and Education Program from USGS (data and materials to support the teaching with GIS in the curriculum)    http://rmmcweb.cr.usgs.gov/public/outreach/giseduc.html
• "The District" CBS crime drama uses GIS for crime analysis (from ESRI)  http://www.esri.com/mapmuseum/mapbook_gallery/volume16/law1.html
• TopoZone (online topographic contour maps for the entire U.S. -- FREE)  http://www.topozone.com
• University of Arkansas Libraries:  GIS & Maps (links to online data and info.)  http://libinfo.uark.edu/gis/ 
• U.S. Census Bureau Maps and Cartographic Resources  http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/
  

Geography in Education

• Ancient World Mapping Center (mapping the ancient world,from Athens to Zucchabar)  http://www.unc.edu/awmc/
  
• Careers in Geography -- links to various careeer sources http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~ziehr/careers-in-geography.html
• GeoSense --one-two player geography based game   http://www.geosense.net/
• Journey North  -- Engaging Students in a Global Study of Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change   http://www.learner.org/jnorth/current.html
• NASA -various photos and resources for educators    http://www.nasa.gov/home/index.html
• National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE)  http://www.ncge.org/
• National Geographic Society (check out "Xpeditions") http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
• Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education (OKAGE) http://www.ngsednet.org/okage  
  
• Places Online (provides access to the World's very best place-based Web sites)   http://www.placesonline.org/
  
• Portals to the World by the Library of Congress  -- http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html

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Created by Chuck Ziehr;  revised July 13, 2006.  This page: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~ziehr/GIS/GISday-Links.html