Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Geographic Information Science

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Regional Science

Abstract

This chapter begins with a definition of geographic information science (GIScience). We then discuss how this research area has been influenced by recent developments in computing and data-intensive analysis, before setting out its core organizing principles from a practical perspective. The following section reflects on the key characteristics of geographic information, the problems posed by large data volumes, the relevance of geographic scale, the remit of geographic simulation, and the key achievements of GIScience to date. Our subsequent review of changing scientific practices and the changing problems facing scientists addresses developments in high-performance computing, heightened awareness of the social context of geographic information systems (GISystems), and the importance of neogeography in providing new data sources, in driving the need for new techniques, and in heightening a human-centric perspective.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adnan M, Longley PA, Singleton AD (2014) Parallel processing architectures of GPU: applications in geocomputational geodemographics. In: Abrahart R, See L (eds) GeoComputation, 2nd edn. Taylor and Francis, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Anselin L (1989) What is special about spatial data? Alternative perspectives on spatial data analysis. Technical paper 89-4. National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, Santa Barbara

    Google Scholar 

  • Anselin L (1995) Local indicators of spatial association – LISA. Geogr Anal 27(2):93–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batty MJ, Longley PA (1994) Fractal cities: a geometry of form and function. Academic, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke KC, Gaydos L (1998) Loose coupling a cellular automaton model and GIS: long-term growth prediction for San Francisco and Washington/Baltimore. Int J Geogr Inf Sci 12(7):699–714

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cope M, Elwood S (2009) Qualitative GIS: a mixed methods approach. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Duckham M, Goodchild MF, Worboys MF (2003) Foundations of geographic information science. Taylor and Francis, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Egenhofer MJ, Franzosa RD (1991) Point-set topological spatial relations. Int J Geogr Inf Syst 5(2):161–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans TP, Kelley H (2004) Multi-scale analysis of a household level agent-based model of land cover change. J Environ Manag 72(1–2):57–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fotheringham AS, Brunsdon C, Charlton M (2002) Geographically weighted regression: the analysis of spatially varying relationships. Wiley, Hoboken

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodchild MF (1992) Geographical information science. Int J Geogr Inf Syst 6(1):31–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodchild MF (2007) Citizens as sensors: the world of volunteered geography. GeoJournal 69(4):211–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hey AJG, Tansley S, Tolle KM (2009) The fourth paradigm: data-intensive scientific discovery. Microsoft Research, Redmond

    Google Scholar 

  • Janelle DG, Goodchild MF (2011) Concepts, principles, tools, and challenges in spatially integrated social science. In: Nyerges TL, McMaster R, Couclelis H (eds) The SAGE handbook of GIS and society. Sage, Thousand Oaks, pp 27–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Janelle DG, Goodchild MF (2018) Territory, geographic information, and the map. In: Wuppuluri S, Doria FA (eds) The map and the territory: exploring the foundations of science, thought and reality. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 609–628

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kelleher JD, Tierney B (2018) Data science. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • LeSage J, Pace RK (2009) Introduction to spatial econometrics. CRC Press, Boca Raton/London/New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Longley PA, Goodchild MF, Maguire DJ, Rhind DW (2015) Geographic information science and systems, 4th edn. Wiley, Hoboken

    Google Scholar 

  • Longley PA, Cheshire JA, Singleton AD (2018) Consumer data research. UCL Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Maguire DJ, Longley PA (2005) The emergence of geoportals and their role in spatial data infrastructures. Comput Environ Urban Syst 29(1):3–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Science Foundation (2003) Report of the blue-ribbon advisory panel on cyberinfrastructure. National Science Foundation, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Openshaw S (1983) The modifiable areal unit problem. GeoBooks, Norwich

    Google Scholar 

  • Openshaw S, Abrahart RJ (1996) Geocomputation. In: Abrahart RJ (ed) Proceedings, first international conference on GeoComputation, University of Leeds, pp 665–666

    Google Scholar 

  • Ord JK, Getis A (1995) Local spatial autocorrelation statistics: distributional issues and applications. Geogr Anal 27(4):286–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker DC, Manson SM, Janssen MA, Hoffmann MJ, Deadman P (2003) Multi-agent systems for the simulation of land-use and land-cover change: a review. Ann Assoc Am Geogr 93(2):314–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pickles J (ed) (1993) Ground truth: the social implications of geographic information systems. Guilford Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Shreve RL (1966) Statistical law of stream numbers. J Geol 74:17–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tobler WR (1970) A computer movie simulating urban growth in the Detroit region. Econ Geogr 46(2):234–240

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torrens PM, Li X, Griffin WA (2011) Building agent-based walking models by machine learning on diverse databases of space-time trajectory samples. Trans Geogr Inf Sci 15(s1):67–94

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang S (2016) CyberGIS and spatial data science. GeoJournal 81(6):965–968

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson AG (1970) Entropy in Urban and Regional Modelling. Pion, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright DJ, Goodchild MF, Proctor JD (1997) Demystifying the persistent ambiguity of GIS as ‘tool’ versus ‘science’. Ann Assoc Am Geogr 87(2):346–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang JX, Goodchild MF (2002) Uncertainty in geographical information. Taylor and Francis, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Spatial Studies and Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Michael F. Goodchild

  2. Consumer Data Research Centre and Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK

    Paul A. Longley

Authors
  1. Michael F. Goodchild
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paul A. Longley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael F. Goodchild .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Economic Geography and GIScience, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria

    Manfred M. Fischer

  2. and Business Administration Department of Spatial Economics, Free University Faculty of Economics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Peter Nijkamp

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Goodchild, M.F., Longley, P.A. (2019). Geographic Information Science. In: Fischer, M., Nijkamp, P. (eds) Handbook of Regional Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36203-3_61-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36203-3_61-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-36203-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36203-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation