Ian Gregory is Associate Director of the Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at the Queen's University of Belfast. Paul Ell is Founding Director of the Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at the Queen's University of Belfast.

• List of figures; List of tables; 1. GIS and its role in historical research: an introduction; 2. GIS: a framework for representing the Earth's surface; 3. Building historical GIS databases; 4. Basic approaches to handling data in a historical GIS; 5. Using GIS to visualise historical data; 6. Time in historical GIS databases; 7. Geographic information retrieval: historical geographic information on the internet and in digital libraries; 8. GIS and quantitative spatial analysis; 9. From techniques to knowledge: historical GIS in practice; References.

Ian Gregory is Associate Director of the Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at the Queen's University of Belfast. Paul Ell is Founding Director of the Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at the Queen's University of Belfast.

• List of figures; List of tables; 1. GIS and its role in historical research: an introduction; 2. GIS: a framework for representing the Earth's surface; 3. Building historical GIS databases; 4. Basic approaches to handling data in a historical GIS; 5. Using GIS to visualise historical data; 6. Time in historical GIS databases; 7. Geographic information retrieval: historical geographic information on the internet and in digital libraries; 8. GIS and quantitative spatial analysis; 9. From techniques to knowledge: historical GIS in practice; References.

Ian Gregory is Associate Director of the Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at the Queen's University of Belfast. Paul Ell is Founding Director of the Centre for Data Digitisation and Analysis in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology at the Queen's University of Belfast.

• List of figures; List of tables; 1. GIS and its role in historical research: an introduction; 2. GIS: a framework for representing the Earth's surface; 3. Building historical GIS databases; 4. Basic approaches to handling data in a historical GIS; 5. Using GIS to visualise historical data; 6. Time in historical GIS databases; 7. Geographic information retrieval: historical geographic information on the internet and in digital libraries; 8. GIS and quantitative spatial analysis; 9. From techniques to knowledge: historical GIS in practice; References.