Community Geography: GIS in Action gives students, teachers, and active citizens a powerful new way to make a difference in the world and in their neighborhoods, using the high-tech tools of geographic information systems, GIS.

Using real-world case studies and hands-on software exercises, Community Geography: GIS in Action will show students how geographic analysis can give them a new way of looking at the world, and inspire them to investigate issues and solve problems in their own communities. Seven case studies describe innovative GIS projects undertaken by students, teachers, and community partners in the United States and Canada. They encompass issues that matter, such as discovering and mapping landfills in residential neighborhoods, tracking water quality, helping police to monitor crime hot spots, and taking inventories of community trees.

Each case study is followed by a practical step-by-step exercise that incorporates spatial thinking, the tools of GIS software, geographic inquiry methods, and real data from the case studies. Each module also includes in-depth instruction and resource information about taking on a similar project on your own in your own environment.

With Community Geography: GIS in Action, you really can make a difference!

The accompanying CD-ROM contains all the data you need to complete the exercises and is compatible with both the Microsoft® Windows® and Apple® Macintosh® operating systems. Users must have their own licensed copy of ArcView® 3.x software to use the CD data.

Laura S. Feaster is a geographer and education specialist with ESRI. She co-authored the best selling book Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop.

Kim Zanelli English, a former science teacher, is an educator and instructional designer with ESRI.