Located on the lower level of Bender Library, American University Library's Geospatial Research Lab supports the research and teaching programs of American University faculty, staff, and students, through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and resources. The lab builds and curates American University's spatial data collection and provides support for both research methods and software in the pursuit of robust geospatial research on campus. AU scholars are encouraged to explore how geographic visualization and analysis can assist in examining relationship and causalities, uncovering patterns, and making predictions.

Geospatial Data

The Geospatial Research Lab hosts license-restricted Geospatial Data in the American University Library's Digital Research Archive. We also have a Subject Guide to help you find data using publicly available resources. Please contact geospatial@american.edu for more information on specific geospatial data acquisition requests.

AU GIS Course Offerings

To find AU courses on geospatial and related topics, search the AU course catalog for GIS, remote sensing, mapping, or visualization.

Software and Licenses

Specialized geospatial software is available in the Geospatial Research Lab, including ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap, QGIS, and ENVI+IDL. Please contact geospatial@american.edu to become connected to the American University ArcGIS Online Organizational Account, to access ArcPro licenses, or to learn about other software and analysis tools.