The Global Information Locator Service (GILS) encompasses a global vision f
ramed by the fundamental values of open societies. Societal values such as
a free flow of information impose certain requirements on the society's inf
ormation infrastructure. These requirements in turn shape the various laws,
policies, standards. and technologies that determine the infrastructure de
sign. A particular focus of GILS is the requirement to provide the means fo
r people to discover sources of data and information. Information discovery
in the GILS vision is designed to be decentralized yet coherent, and globa
lly comprehensive yet useful for detailed data. This article introduces bas
ic concepts and design issues, with emphasis on the techniques by which GIL
S supports interoperability. It explains the practical implications of GILS
for the common roles of organizations involved in handling information, fr
om content provider through system engineer and intermediary to searcher. T
he article provides examples of GILS initiatives in various types of commun
ities: bibliographic, geographic., environmental, and government. (C) 2001
Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.