National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis

The U.S. National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) was established in 1988 at the University of California, Santa Barbara; the State University of New York at Buffalo (the University at Buffalo); and the University of Maine. Funded from 1988 through 1996 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) following an open competition, the center continues under a collaborative agreement between the three institutions. The center's mission is to conduct research in geographic information science and to undertake associated educational and outreach programs.

By 1986, it had become clear that geographic information systems (GIS) were a growing computer application with abundant uses in a range of human activities, including science. At NSF, the officer newly responsible for the Geography and Regional Science program, Ronald Abler, saw ...