Study the Past Using GIS

GIS can be used by historians and archaeologists to help manage information about the past, whether it comes from sources like maps and books or from archaeological survey and excavation. GIS can be used to visualize such data in a spatial context to discover and communicate new patterns and relationships. GIS may also be used as a teaching tool in history and social studies classes.

Useful Links

• Past Time, Past Place: GIS for History
  A new book from ESRI Press
• ESRI Archaeology Web Page
• Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative
• David Rumsey Map Collection
• Valley of the Shadow GIS Project
• Cultural Resources Mapping and GIS—U.S. National Parks Service
• Digital Historic Map Project
• Great Britain Historical GIS Project
• ArcLessons Social Studies Lessons With GIS
  See especially
  
  • Canals, Roads, Trails: Which Way Did They Go?
  • Lewis & Clark 2003: GIS Data/Project Package
  • Mapping the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1803–1806
  • Oregon Trail
  • New Look at Lewis & Clark with Online GIS
  • The Pull of Polaris: GIS and the Underground Railroad

The U.S. National Parks Service and other federal agencies maintain GIS databases of historic and archaeological sites on federal lands. States maintain Historic Preservation Offices in association with the Parks Service to track such sites within each state. See sites using GIS for project management.