GIS Critical Issues in an Emerging Cross-Disciplinary Research Domain

Geographic Information Science:
Critical Issues in an Emerging Cross-Disciplinary Research Domain

Executive Summary: Scenarios for geographic information use in the year 2010 suggest great potential to extend the capabilities of scientific researchers, decision-makers, and the public. This potential, however, will only be realized if there are substantial advances in Geographic Information Science, enhancing knowledge of geographic concepts and their computational implementations. To assess the needs for basic research in this emerging science and technology field, a workshop was held at the National Science Foundation January 14-15, 1999. Workshop participants represented a broad range of the disciplines involved in Geographic Information Science and technology. The workshop identified two important research streams: research in basic Geographic Information Science (hereafter, GIScience), and research using geographic information systems (hereafter, GIS). It is imperative that research in these two areas be integrated, as applications motivate the science, and awareness of theory improves applications. Basic research in GIScience has several compelling components. First is software integration, a general problem that needs specific research to solve its geospatial dimensions. Second, scale and resolution are spatial problems that interact with the scales (characteristic lengths) of environmental and social processes and with data quality. Third, process models are a general computing problem, but again geographic applications will require uniquely geographic solutions. And fourth, usability of systems and technologies is also a major component in need of research. In addition, uncertainty and spatial dependence were recognized as important crosscutting research themes. GIScience is clearly a coherent research field of strategic importance.

Workshop participants agreed that there is an urgent need for a focused investment in GIScience, and that the National Science Foundation is the most appropriate U.S. agency to do this. Such an investment is consistent with several important national trends, represented by the President’s Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) report, the Administration’s FY 2000 Information Technology for the Twenty-First Century (IT 2 ) initiative, and the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. The workshop found that there is a coherent research community poised to make advances in GIScience if sufficient research support is made available.

The workshop participants made the following recommendations to the National Science Foundation.

1. The National Science Foundation should recognize the importance of GIScience as a coherent research field, and should focus a funding activity in this area as soon as possible.

2. Both basic GIScience, and research using GIS, should be supported from the new activity, to promote the integration of these research areas.

3. The Foundation should establish an internal task force, with representatives from all the Directorates and the Office of Polar Programs, that would meet regularly to ensure that the new GIScience activity includes and benefits all relevant parts of the Foundation and their constituents.

4. The Foundation should appoint a multidisciplinary advisory panel of non-NSF personnel to assist in defining, implementing, and evaluating the effectiveness of this activity. The University Consortium endorsed these recommendations for GIScience in June 1999.