Geographic Information Systems are powerful tools for storing, manipulating and analyzing spatially-referenced data (i.e., any data that can be mapped).

Source: Kenneth E. Foote and Margaret Lynch, The Geographer's Craft Project, Department of Geography, University of Texas at Austin

Are you looking for basic information on how GIS works, and what people are doing with the technology?  If so, check the "About GIS" WWW site.

For an excellent introduction to GIS, visit the Geographers Craft Project at the University of Texas, or the U.S. Geological Survey GIS Home Page.

For an introduction to developing a GIS for your institution or jurisdiction, visit the GIS Development Guide Home Page. Local governments will find the Implementation Guide for Parcel-Based GIS in Local Governments especially useful.

A list of GIS books, conference proceedings and periodicals can be accessed here.

For links to additional GIS sites on the World Wide Web, visit the Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies site at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.