One of the most important early uses of computers in cartography was to map and analyze the distribution of natural resources. The techniques and systems created for this kind of work became fundamental components, to this day, of computer mapping systems in general.
Natural resource management was one of the first practical uses of geographic information systems, or “GIS” for short. GIS refers to software used for creating, manipulating, and analyzing geospatial data. As part of a Canadian government survey to document and analyze land resources, the first comprehensive, digital GIS program was created in the late 1960s. The maps in this section show how state and federal governments influenced the rise of computer mapping through the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, reminding us that digital mapping technologies didn’t just spring up out of nowhere—cartographers developed them in response to the specific needs of particular institutions at key moments in history.