The centering processes of geographic information system (GIS) development at the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was an extension of past cartographic encounters with American Indians through the central control of geospatial technologies, uneven development of geographic information resources, and extension of technically dependent clientele. Cartographic encounters included the historical exchanges of geographic information between indigenous people and non-Indians in North America. Scientists and technicians accumulated geographic information at the center of calculation where scientific maps, models, and simulations emerged. A study of GIS development at the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs will demonstrate some centering processes. (Contains 1 table, 5 figures, and 102 notes.)