Welcome! This guide is designed to assist students, researchers,
and faculty using GIS at Washington University. As you conduct
your research, please use these pages to keep up to date on GIS
events on campus, new data acquisitions, and library resources
for GIS. GIS and Data Services are a unit within Washington
University Libraries; What is GIS? The acronym GIS most commonly
refers to Geographic Information Systems, the interconnected
hardware, software, users, data, and procedures that together
form a system for geospatial analysis. GIS can be used to study,
analyze, and visualize any phenomenon that has a spatial
component. If location plays a role in your research, GIS offers
a way to include these spatial features in your analysis.