Partnerships and opportunities: The archival management of geographic information systems

This article provides an overview of geographic information systems (GISs) technology and applications. It discusses its implications for archives, including a review of the existing literature. Finally, the article recommends a strategy for managing such systems based on the study of an environmental GIS application in a federal research center and on the vision recently expressed by David Bearman and Margaret Hedstrom. A multi-staged approach to the archival management of GISs is recommended and new partnerships are suggested to aid archivists in the future management of these systems.