View national GIS data sets on an NPS Data and Information online clearinghouse. And, view Yosemite's GIS data sets, covering topics from geology to fire to soils, as well as California-specific GIS data.
Resources to Study GIS
Prominent researchers discuss the role of GIS in science and society in the 1994 "GIS: Tool or Science? Demystifying the Persistent Ambiguity of GIS as 'Tool' versus 'Science'" in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers. [282 kb PDF]
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources outlines significant advances in GIS that benefit wildlife research. Read the 2006 Wildlife Society Bulletin's "Tracking the Rapid Pace of GIS-Related Capabilities and Their Accessibility." [1.9 MB PDF]
Read a book review of "Spatial Uncertainity in Ecology: Implications for Remote Sensing and GIS Application," which addresses inevitable uncertainties of GIS data. A 2002 article in Ecology critiques the 2001 book. [142 kb PDF]
Applications of GIS Technology
An NPS' "Geography and Mapping Technologies" website includes GIS data downloads and general information about how the NPS applies GIS technology.
A United States Geological Survey (USGS) website applies geographic analysis to environmental and natural resources issues. View USGS digital US Topo maps free in a GeoPDF format with tools to determine coordinates, turn layers on and off, zoom in and out, and print.
A U.S. Library of Congress website provides information about geography and access to maps, including terrain models, atlases, aerial photographs and historic maps.
Access the Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination Group (GeoMAC)'s website: an internet-based mapping application designed to provide information about and support for the management of wildland fires.
See how sequences of satellite images over time can tell a story of ecological dynamics: Observe Yosemite fires and forest re-growth through Landsat imagery by Oregon State University scientists.
Study how the movement of black bears in Yosemite National Park is monitored, recorded, and analyzed using GIS. Read the 2006 "Activity Patterns of American Black Bears in Yosemite National Park" in Ursus. [182 kb PDF]
Analyze the nest site preferences of the flying squirrel in Yosemite National Park as presented in a field study that incorporates GPS and spatial analysis. Read the 2007 "Nest Trees of Northern Flying Squirrels in Yosemite National Park, California" in The Southwestern Naturalist. [90 kb PDF]
Observations of mountain goats in alpine habitats near Mt. Evans, Colo., are used to develop generalized habitat models in GIS that identify locations where mountain goats are likely to live. Read "GIS-Based Habitat Models for Mountain Goats" in the 2002 Journal of Mammology. [508 kb PDF]