The History of Geographic Information Systems: Perspectives from the Pioneers

Traces the development of GIS from the 1960s to the late 1990s. Contents: GIS early years and the threads of evolution The Canada geographic information system Academic origins of GIS Topology and TIGER : the Census Bureau's contribution Raster based GIS Investments in personal computing Land information systems: development of multipurpose parcel-based systems AM/FM entry: 25-year history Remote sensing and GIS in agriculture and forestry-the early years Development of remote sensing digital image processing and raster GIS GIS development in the Department of Interior GIS technology takes root in the Department of Defense A quarter century of GIS at Oak Bridge National Laboratory State and local government GIS initiatives -- The incubation of GIS in Europe The development of GIS in Australia : from infancy towards maturity Canada today International application of GIS What next? Reflections from the middle of the growth curve