Stace Maples

As Assistant Director of Geospatial Collections & Services at Stanford Libraries and Head of the Stanford Geospatial Center, I work at the intersection of teaching, research, and applied geospatial innovation. I partner with faculty, students, and research teams across Stanford to design curricula, develop spatial data resources, and apply geospatial methods that help answer complex research questions across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

An archaeologist by training and sa technologist by temperament, I have more than 25 years of hands-on experience with GIS, remote sensing, and location-based technologies. My research interests span the full lifecycle of geospatial information—from data capture, to large-scale platforms for geographic data distribution, and emerging applications of AI and Earth observation imagery. My teaching emphasizes both technical fluency and critical spatial thinking, preparing students and researchers to work effectively with geospatial data in academic and real-world contexts.

In parallel with my academic work, I collaborate with startups and external partners to translate geospatial research into practice. This includes advising early-stage companies on spatial data strategy, product development, and the responsible use of geospatial and AI technologies. Across the classroom, the lab, and the startup ecosystem, my work is driven by a commitment to expanding access to geospatial tools and helping others make meaningful sense of the “where” in their work.