# GIS Commons: An Introductory Textbook on Geographic Information Systems

- By: Michael Schmandt
- Publisher: Sacramento State University
- Source: [LibreTexts](https://geo.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Geography_(Physical)/GIS_Commons%3A_An_Introductory_Textbook_on_Geographic_Information_Systems)
- Licence: [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
- Read at LibreTexts: https://geo.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Geography_(Physical)/GIS_Commons%3A_An_Introductory_Textbook_on_Geographic_Information_Systems
- PDF: https://downloads.libretexts.org/api/v1/download/geo-44883/pdf

This e-text focuses primarily on Geographic Information Systems (GIS)—a geospatial technology that enables you to create spatial databases, analyze spatial patterns, and produce maps that communicate more effectively. While this GIS textbook is principally an introduction to GIS, most of the chapter’s concepts are applicable to other geotechnologies including remote sensing, global positioning systems (GPS), Internet mapping, and virtual globes.