ABSTRACT
Nonprofits can engage in a wide variety of work across multiple issues, ranging from service delivery, community planning, advocacy, and business development. Typically, a nonprofit organization in the United States will fall under section 501(c) of the federal tax code. Given the focus of many nonprofits, it is fitting that the history of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) begins with individuals grappling with public health safety. The first documented application of “GIS” was in France in 1832 by French geographer Charles Picquet, who created a map of cholera epidemiology in Paris using color gradients. As a flexible and adaptable tool, GIS can provide a lot of value to nonprofit operations if properly adopted and utilized. While there are certainly limitations as well as potential dangers to the use of GIS in nonprofit work, the advantages to adapting and integrating GIS into nonprofit operations warrants consideration by nonprofits of all different types.
