Technical Abstract: A common strategy for sampling intraspecific genetic diversity is to maximize sampling geographically distinct populations. The objective of this study was to illustrate how geographic information coupled with geographic information system analysis (GIS) can provide a new level of precision for establishing frameworks for sampling germplasm occurring in diverse sites. An exploration to collect forage legumes in the Caucasus mountains, Russia, in 1995 was used as a case study. The development of a GIS database and accompanying map products and how these products were used to guide collecting are discussed. Information souces included Russian maps, orbital satellite imagery, remotely-sensed elevation data, and long term climate data from weather stations. A GIS database was developed and used to produce the following maps: soil classification, roads and trails, vegetation, and topography. Climate modeling techniques were used to create maps reflecting climate zones. Assessment of map-based and site-specific geographic feature during the collection trip provided collectors with an increased understanding of how the physical features of the collection landscape may have influenced the geographic differentiation of 75% of the germplasm accessions collected.