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MIT Libraries to Offer Geographic Information Systems Programs for IAP

Ruth K. Seidman
Communications Coordinator, MIT Libraries
rks@mit.edu, 617-253-5686
December 13, 2001

The MIT Libraries will be offering a wide variety of IAP programs, including several related to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) taught by the Libraries’ new GIS specialist, Sarah Williams. Among the programs are a basic introduction to GIS on January 10 at 1pm, and "Locating Geographic Data: Finding the Needle in a Haystack" on January 17 at 1pm.

A Geographic Information System is a tool designed to work with spatial data referenced by geographic coordinates. It generally contains a database system for referencing the data and tools for displaying, manipulating, and analyzing the data. GIS has applications in a broad range of fields as diverse as environmental engineering, urban planning, epidemiology, marketing, risk management, archaeology, and economics.

Other topics being presented by the Libraries for IAP 2002 include: copyright issues, creative pamphlet making, DSpace—Durable Digital Documents, using EndNote software, using the patent literature, and photography. For a full listing of IAP programs to be offered by the Libraries, see: http://websis.mit.edu/iap/nslib.html