GISCO, the 'Geographical information system of the Commission', a permanent service of Eurostat that answers the needs of Eurostat and the European Commission for geographical information at the level of the European Union (EU), its Member States and regions. GISCO is responsible for meeting the European Commission's geographical information needs at 3 levels: the European Union, its member countries, and its regions.

In addition to creating statistical and other thematic maps, GISCO manages a database of geographical information, and provides related services to the Commission. Its database contains core geographical data covering the whole of Europe, such as administrative boundaries, and thematic geospatial information, such as population grid data. Some data are available for download by the general public and may be used for non-commercial purposes. For further details and information about any forthcoming new or updated datasets, see the Geodata section.

GISCO also coordinates Commission-wide geographical information activities. It seeks to promote the use of geographical information and the geographical information system (GIS) within the European Statistical System (ESS) and the Commission. GISCO therefore chairs the working group on the integration of statistical and geospatial information, which includes representatives of National Statistical Institutes (NSI) and National Mapping and Cadastral Authorities (NMCA). For further information, see the GISCO activities section.

Physical location: the European Union, its member countries, and its regions