Cartography has deep historical roots, but mapping the past with GIS is a relatively new field. Historians and archaeologists are now finding GIS technology easier to use than ever and are pushing the boundaries of GIS, applying it in new and creative ways. In this special section, "Exploring the Past with GIS," you'll find reports on new applications of GIS and how they help us understand the past. These articles include reports on the use of cutting-edge GIS and Internet technology, newly published essays on GIS in historical research, and reports on the exploration of sites high in the Andes and below the surface of the Mediterranean.

The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection is opening up its historic collection of 19th and 20th century maps for exploration by scholars, GIS professionals, and the public-over the Internet.

A new book from Esri Press, Past Time, Past Place: GIS for History, includes essays on several historical studies that have made extensive use of GIS. This book should provide insight and inspiration for teachers, historians, archaeologists, and others interested in learning about how to apply GIS to the study of history.

See how the Wisconsin Division of Historic Preservation uses GIS to help protect the State's historic sites-with 150 years of land records and as many as 20,000 Indian mounds and historic cemeteries.

The site of Tel Shiqmona in Israel challenges archaeologists with its proximity to the sea, its isolation from trade routes, and its exposure to the elements. Archaeologists using GIS and GPS are studying the nearby coastal shelf to identify clues to the historical use of this site and explain its long history.

High in the Andes, people who had hunted and gathered wild foods for millennia settled down, domesticated llamas and alpacas, and built empires. Exploring this transition to social complexity is a task for archaeologists who painstakingly excavate large areas and record their finds in minute detail. GIS provides these researchers with a powerful tool to record and organize their excavations.

Bob Booth coordinates the Esri Archaeology User Interest Group. See www.esri.com/archaeology.