Eighteen stories about how ordinary girls with very different passions have become extraordinary women and made significant contributions to our world.

Women look to other women as role models and for inspiration. Seeing confidence, leadership, and accomplishments in other women helps a young woman envision herself with those qualities. Women and GIS: Mapping Their Stories tells the tales of how 18 women applied themselves and overcame obstacles, using maps, analysis, and geographic information systems (GIS) to contribute to their professions and the world. Sharing the experiences of their childhoods, the misstarts and challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned, each story is a celebration of a woman’s unique path and of the perseverance and hard work it takes to achieve success.

From oceanographers to activists, archaeologists to entrepreneurs, the women in Women and GIS: Mapping Their Stories can serve as mentors to motivate readers who are developing their own life stories and inspire their potential in a new way.