The GIS department primarily assists LTBB staff with all GIS/GPS initiatives. The department also has served as point of contact for geospatial collaboration efforts with tribal, state and federal agencies along with local governmental entities such as Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet Counties.

In addition to a high degree of technical proficiency with GIS, GPS and associated hardware and software technologies, staff is fluent with the interpretation and mapping of tribal treaty areas (as it relates to on-the-ground boundaries). These skills have a direct link to the volumes of data received from tribal wide efforts such as the McClurken Report workgroup and LTBB reservation recognition effort. Additionally, GIS has been tasked with assisting LTBB staff and Leadership with several high-profile issues regarding 1836 Great Lakes ceded waters interpretation and 2020 negotiations, legal disputes over tribal gaming, Tax Agreement and jurisdictional efforts.

Many maps and databases generated by GIS staff are consistently used by other agencies such as the State of Michigan DNR, tribes, local government tribal and non-tribal citizens.

GIS also provides direct services to the membership as a whole. For further information on the GIS Department along with a brief departmental history and justification, please see the GIS Departmental Strategic Plan.