GIS Lab
Geographic Information Systems
College of the Atlantic
Mapping place, data, and ideas
The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Lab at College of the Atlantic fuses the arts and sciences through mapping, analysis, and planning. Established in 1988—the first of its kind at a small college—our GIS Lab serves as a technical and creative hub for the entire academic program.
Experiential learning
Learning by doing
The GIS program is built on experiential, project-based learning. Through research, service, and community partnerships, students develop spatial thinking and technical skills that give them a marketable edge for jobs, internships, and graduate study.
Students collaborate with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations. Projects range from ecological research to land use planning and community mapping.
Student impact
Student projects and recognition
The GIS Lab supports a broad portfolio of student-led work, like the Vision for Town Hill project, which helped guide local planning efforts in Bar Harbor.
The lab is a recipient of the Esri Special Achievement in GIS Award, recognizing its innovation and community impact.
Connect with the GIS Lab
Get involved with hands-on mapping projects. Access training and technical support. Partner on community research initiatives.
Gordon Longsworth
[email protected]
207-801-5677
Stories from the Field
From Control to Collaboration: A New Vision for AI
In a paper published in AI Magazine, College of the Atlantic Professor Gray Cox proposes a peace studies approach to AI alignment that emphasizes relationship-building over control, a framework he calls the Viral Collaborative Wisdom hypothesis. Read More
“Follow it, relentlessly”: COA opens 55th academic year
Drawing on a career that has spanned science, cooking, and drug discovery, keynote speaker Seth Carbonneau ’05 urges students to follow their curiosity, embrace experiential learning, and value uncertainty. Read MoreStudent Resources
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