Vagueness in Geography

Some have argued that the vagueness exhibited by geographic names and descriptions such as ''Albuquerque,'' ''the Outback,'' or ''Mount Everest'' is ultimately ontological: these terms are vague because they refer to vague objects , objects with fuzzy boundaries. I take the opposite stand and hold the view that geographic vagueness is exclusively semantic, or conceptual at large. There is no such thing as a vague mountain. Rather, there are many things where we conceive a mountain to be, each with its precise boundary, and when we say ''Everest'' we are just being vague as to which thing we are referring to. This paper defends this view against some plausible objections

Mapping the Deep Blue Oceans

The ocean terrain spanning the globe is vast and complex—far from an immense flat plain of mud. To map these depths accurately and wisely, we must understand how cartographic abstraction and generalization work both in analog cartography and digital GIS. This chapter explores abstraction practices such as selection and exaggeration with respect to mapping the oceans, showing significant continuity in such practices across cartography and contemporary GIS. The role of measurement and abstraction—as well as of political and economic power, and sexual and personal bias—in these sciences is illustrated by the biographies of Marie Tharp and Bruce Heezen, whose mapping of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge precipitated a paradigm shift in geology

The Earth as Sensor and as Enigma: Geographical Science in the Global Data Age

Exciting possibilities for cyber-geography are on the horizon, based on Big Data and the ever-expanding computational capabilities of our age. Are we close to building a system that will anticipate the future in practically all areas of the social and behavioral sciences, and for any place on earth? Is such a system possible even in principle? Many scientists think so. This essay probes this fascinating question

The Earth as Sensor and as Enigma: Geographical Science in the Global Data Age

Exciting possibilities for cyber-geography are on the horizon, based on Big Data and the ever-expanding computational capabilities of our age. Are we close to building a system that will anticipate the future in practically all areas of the social and behavioral sciences, and for any place on earth? Is such a system possible even in principle? Many scientists think so. This essay probes this fascinating question

The territory is not the Map: Steps towards a new Science

International audienceThis paper argues that an integrative science of territory is desirable and possible. It first examines certain prerequisites for the establishment of a new science and notes that these could be easily met by a science of territory. Next, it examines one of the most authoritative contributions to the notion of territory in the Anglophone literature, that by Robert Sack, revealing the complexity and interest of the topic. Related to this and briefly reviewed is GIScience research on boundaries. The paper then sketches out a possible theoretical framework for a science of territory, based on the notion of 'object of discourse'. The idea is that the richness of concepts underlying the notion of territory, ranging from parts of space to human intentionality, may be captured on four different levels of meaning that work together but may be approached by methods appropriate to each. The paper closes with some suggestions about possible organizational forms to help establish a science of territory

The Earth as Sensor and as Enigma: Geographical Science in the Global Data Age

Exciting possibilities for cyber-geography are on the horizon, based on Big Data and the ever-expanding computational capabilities of our age. Are we close to building a system that will anticipate the future in practically all areas of the social and behavioral sciences, and for any place on earth? Is such a system possible even in principle? Many scientists think so. This essay probes this fascinating question