2006-08-09 01:06:59 · 8 answers · asked by jimmy 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Geography
GIS is a Tool
For those who take this position, "doing GIS" amounts to making use of a tool to advance the investigation of a problem. If the investigation merits the label "research," then "doing GIS" is probably "doing science" as well. However, the existence and use of the tool are separable from the substantive problem. The documentation and write-up of the research tend to focus on the substantive problem, and indeed the tool may not be mentioned at all. In some cases, GIS may be only one of a number of tools used, each of which has been selected strictly for its efficacy in the research project. In these cases the tools do not drive the research.
GIS is Toolmaking
Advancing along the continuum between "GIS as tool" and "GIS as science," we reach the middle position on GIS, that of toolmaking. For toolmakers, the tool is inseparable from the substantive problem, i.e., "doing GIS" implies involvement in the
development of the tool itself. Geographers who are makers of the GIS tool participate directly in its specification, development, and evaluation, as well as in its use.
In reality, the developers of GIS tools have backgrounds in many disciplines, including computer science, engineering, design, and mathematics, as well as geography. Few geographers have the necessary technical skills to build major software systems or to write "industrial-strength code;" but for that matter academics in general are not regarded as suited to the development of reliable software. Most current GISs originated in the private sector in companies employing a mix of disciplines (GRASS and Idrisi are notable exceptions).
The Science of GIS
It was evident from the GIS-L debate that GIS is widely viewed outside the discipline of geography as a subset of geographical science. Although Geography is a small, unevenly represented discipline, and doubts about its legitimacy in the academy are widely held (Smith 1987), the recent growth of GIS and its affiliation with the discipline has meant increased visibility in the academy. Moreover GIS is associated with clear physical imagery, hence it is much easier to imagine "doing GIS" than "doing geography" if one has no familiarity with the latter. Geography's affiliation with GIS thus pairs it with the computer (however inappropriately). Computerization automatically confers precision, rigor, and replicability in the popular imagination, all of which contribute to the flawed notion of GIS as a subset of geographical science.
The very rapid growth of technology and the emergence of a technology-based society in recent years has prompted new groupings and priorities within science. Few would have predicted, for example, that the development of the digital computer would eventually lead to the discipline of computer science, or that information would itself become the basis of a scientific discipline. Four conditions seem necessary for the emergence of a science out of a technology: first, the driving technology must be of sufficient significance; second, the issues raised by its development and use must be sufficiently challenging; third, interest in and support for research on those issues must be inadequate in the existing disciplines; and fourth, there must be sufficient commonality among the issues to create a substantial synergy.
2006-08-09 18:44:08 · answer #1 · answered by fzaa3's lover 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
GIS used as an acronym for Geographical Information System is a tool.
GIS is commonly categorized under the GISci category, which is an acronym for Geographical Information Sciences. Some people erroneously use this term as GIS as well, but it is not the same thing. GISci is a science that utilizes and studies GIS as well as other computer-related geographical tools.
Several colleges and universities offer degree and certificate programs concentrating in GIS. Additionally, many offer programs in GiSci.
2006-08-09 08:21:59 · answer #2 · answered by JoeSchmo5819 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
GIS is a tool used to help out in performing analysis in many circumstances. GIS is a very powerful tool that many people do not use to it's fullest potential.
ESRI is a great site to find more about GIS.
GISZONE.com is accepting resumes as of right now before the grand opening!
2006-08-12 03:00:54 · answer #3 · answered by LULU 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
GIS is a computer-based tool.
It is used for mapping and analyzing things that exist and events that happen on earth. Using GIS tools one can capture, store, manipulate, analyze, and display all forms of geographically referenced real-world information.
2006-08-09 08:22:36 · answer #4 · answered by Lutfor 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
GIS is a collection of computer hardware, software, and geographic data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.
Tool
2006-08-09 08:12:14 · answer #5 · answered by Puppy Zwolle 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
GIS is a tool.
2006-08-12 13:06:24 · answer #6 · answered by definitivamente06 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A tool, used by geographers and biologists and geologists and so on. It stands for Geographical Information System.
2006-08-09 08:21:03 · answer #7 · answered by flammable 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A tool.
2006-08-12 04:24:43 · answer #8 · answered by Mousey 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋