Mission

GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems. It is an emerging computer technology that manages georeferenced information. GIS integrates digital maps with any kind of attribute data that have important spatial significance such as landuse, population, housing, road network, natural resources, crime rates, diseases, and so on. As the development and application of GIS continue to grow, GIS education is becoming very popular in colleges and universities around the country. Most recently, the term Geographic Information Science (GISci) has emerged to represent the science of spatial data processing"including theory and method of spatial data acquisition, storage, analysis, and visualization.

The Institute of GIS and Spatial Analysis at CSUMB is dedicated to research, instruction, and deployment of geographic information technologies as they are applied to the social and behavioral sciences. GIS technology provides unique and powerful approaches to the study of complex social, economic, cultural and environmental issues. There are many exciting career opportunities for students with GIS background. The demand has been rapidly rising for people who are knowledgeable about using GIS within their own discipline and for people who are professional GIS managers and technicians.