Look for books, magazines, videos, music, and more.
Search for:
HomeGeographic Information Systems (GIS)
GIS or Geographic Information Systems have the ability to query and analyze geographic information in a variety of different contexts. Once limited to just a handful of experienced users in geography departments, GIS has now become a teaching and research tool in various disciplines outside of geography. Landscape Architecture, planning, public policy, history, and even healthcare are some of the areas touched by GIS. The following is a selected list of resources for learning about GIS and its relationship with various fields of study. For further assistance, contact Jon Jablonski, Map and GIS Librarian, at jonjab@uoregon.edu.
GIS Resources in the Libraries
The UO Libraries, mainly through the Map & Aerial Photography Library, maintains an extensive collection of GIS data. Information about this collection is available via the MAP Library's GIS page.
Starting Your Research
GIS has rapidly become a multi-disciplinary field. Many users today now approaching GIS from specialities outside of geography. The following sources provide an informative introduction to the concepts and uses of geographic information systems.
- Geographic Information Systems and Science [DOCS REF. G 70.212 .G44553 2001]
- Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems [G70.212 .D46 2000]
- Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop : basics of ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo [DOCS-LC G70.212 .G489 2001]
- The ESRI Press Dictionary of GIS Terminology [DOCS REF G70.212 .E87 2001]
- Geographical Data: Characteristics and Sources MAP LIBRARY [G70.212 .W35 2002]
- GIS Data Sources [G70.212 .D44 2001]
Finding Articles
To find articles about GIS concepts and applications, the following databases and indexes will prove the most useful.
- GeoBase
Geobase is the best database for finding articles about GIS as it pertains to research in the geographical sciences - GeoRef
GeoRef features articles on GIS, particulary as it relates to geology. - Academic Search Premier
Academic Search Premier offers articles on GIS as it relates to a wide variety of academic disciplines. - Web of Science
Web of Science features articles on GIS and its relationship to the wider world of scientific research. - Inspec
Inspec is a computer science database and includes articles on GIS from a programming perspective.
- Cartographica
Available in print in the Knight Library (GA 101 .C37), or via Academic Search Premier (delayed by 6 months)
Finding Books
- UO Library Catalog
Find books on GIS using keyword, title or author; locate GIS related journals and magazines owned by the UO Library. To find journal articles on GIS, use the databases listed in the section above. Once you have a citation, you can check the library catalog by doing a title search on the name of the journal. - Summit Union Catalog
Summit is the union catalog of the Orbis-Cascade Alliance, a consortium of 26 academic libraries in the Pacific Northwest. You can borrow these books by selecting the Request Item option. Summit loan requests work only for books. If you want to request journal articles, you'll need to fill out an interlibrary loan form. - WorldCat
Worldcat provides access to library catalogs from around the world.
Finding GIS DATA
In addition to the links below, the MAP Library has extensive guides to finding data online. Besides our own collection of downloadable data, there is a general GIS links page.- GIS Data Depot
This commercially run site provides free downloads of GIS data. Updates and lots of GIS resources are also available. - Geography Network
This ESRI sponsered site allows users to access a growing amount of industry and business data previously unavailable. - U.S. Census Tiger Mapping Data
This Census Bureau site makes all 1990 and 2000 U.S. Census boundary files available for download in a variety of GIS formats. - U.S. Geospatial One-Stop
Web portal allowing access to geospatial data from various levels of government in the United States. - USGS Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
This USGS site is a centralized location where USGS data products are available.
Oregon
- Oregon Geospatial Enterprise Office (OGEO)
OGEO is the main source for GIS data pertaining to Oregon. Coverages include roads, vegetation, rivers, watersheds, and even some Census boundaries with attribute tables. Data is used extensively by state departments and agencies. All files are in the state Lambert projection. Both ArcView (shapefile .shp) and ArcInfo files (E00) are available and metadata is provided for most files. - Regional Ecosystem Office (REO)
REO is the best source for Oregon base mapping, such as Digital Raster Graphics (DRGs) which are digital 7.5 minute sheets and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). One drawback is the files are in the Universal Transverse Mercator projection and are not easily usable with OGDC data. Please speak with the UO Map Librarian to acquire DRGs and DEMs in Lambert projection. - InfoRain
InfoRain provides information and GIS data on local watersheds, estuaries and forests. The focus is on western Oregon and Washington. - Oregon Coast Geospatial Clearinghouse
This rapidly growing site features downloadable data from the Oregon coast. - Oregon/Washington Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
The BLM has GIS data pertaining to BLM lands including wetlands and historic fire data - Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF)
The ODF provides GIS data for Oregon forests including fire data and forest management.
Last Modified: 01/05/2007