A lecture in which the audience is introduced to the following: 1. The fundamental principles of Digital Technology (answering the question "What does it mean for something to be digital?"); 2. How spatial/geographical/urban aspects of the real world are mapped onto such principles (answering the question "What are Geographic Information Systems?") 3. What are the potential benefits, the potential issues and the inherent limits of such mapping (answering the question "What can/will happen in a GIS-based world?").