What is a geographic information system (GIS)?

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computer system that analyzes and displays geographically referenced information. It uses data that is attached to a unique location.

Most of the information we have about our world contains a location reference: Where are USGS streamgages located? Where was a rock sample collected? Exactly where are all of a city's fire hydrants?

Citation: 

U.S. Geological Survey. (January 29, 2025). What is a Geographic Information System (GIS)? U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved March 31, 2025, from https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-a-geographic-information-system-gis#:~:text=A%20Geographic%20Information%20System%20(GIS)%20is%20a%20computer%20system%20that,Where%20are%20USGS%20streamgages%20located%3F 

ARCGIS story maps

https://storymaps.com/

StoryMaps makes everyone a storyteller. Share your most important ideas and experiences as compelling interactive content featuring maps, media, and more.

Storymap JS. 

https://storymap.knightlab.com/

StoryMapJS is a free tool to help you tell stories on the web that highlight the locations of a series of events. It is a new tool, yet stable in our development environment, and it has a friendly authoring tool.

Google Earth Projects 

google.com/earth 

Google Maps 

google.com/maps 

CLIO 

theclio.com 

Clio is your guide to the history and culture around you. We have 39972 historical entries from all across the country and 1780 walking tours, virtual tours of museums, heritage trails, and other curated experiences authored by hundreds of organizations. 183 new entries have been added and 247 entries have been improved in the last 30 days.