Geographic Information Science

Geographic information science (GIScience) and spatial analysis develop the concepts, methods, and technologies for representing and analysing geographic data.

Scope

It covers geographic information systems, spatial statistics and modelling, remote sensing, and the conceptual foundations of representing space and place computationally.

Core questions

• How should geographic phenomena be represented digitally?
• How can spatial patterns and relationships be analysed?
• What are the limits and uncertainties of spatial data?
• How do GIS technologies reshape geography?

Key concepts

• Spatial autocorrelation
• Tobler's first law
• Geographic data models
• Spatial statistics
• Remote sensing
• Uncertainty

Key theories

The first law of geography

Tobler's law — near things are more related than distant things — underpins spatial analysis and his early spatial modelling.

Geographic information science

Goodchild reframed GIS from a tool to a science of geographic information and its handling.

History

Spatial analysis grew from the quantitative revolution (Tobler) and GIS technology into geographic information science (Goodchild), now central across geography and the geospatial data sciences.

Debates

GIS as tool versus science

Whether GIS is merely a technology or constitutes a science of geographic information.

Key figures

• Waldo Tobler
• Michael Goodchild

Seminal works

• tobler-1970
• goodchild-1992

Frequently asked questions

What is Tobler's first law of geography?

'Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things' — a foundation of spatial analysis.