Ontological Foundations for Geographic Information Science

We propose as a UCGIS research priority the topic of “Ontological Foundations for Geographic Information.” Under this umbrella we unify several interrelated research subfields, each of which deals with different perspectives on geospatial ontologies and their roles in geographic information science. While each of these subfields could be addressed separately, we believe it is important to address ontological research in a unitary, systematic fashion, embracing conceptual issues concerning what would be required to establish an exhaustive ontology of the geospatial domain, issues relating to the choice of appropriate methods for formalizing ontologies, and considerations regarding the design of ontology-driven information systems. This integrated approach is necessary, because there is a strong dependency between the methods used to specify an ontology, and the conceptual richness, robustness and tractability of the ontology itself. Likewise, information system implementations are needed as testbeds of the usefulness of every aspect of an exhaustive ontology of the geospatial domain. None of the current UCGIS research priorities provides such an integrative perspective, and therefore the topic of “Ontological Foundations for Geographic Information Science” is unique

Geographic Information Science

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

Geographic Information Science in Health: Priming the Pump

Today, public health professionals, researchers, policy makers and many others are increasingly using GIS to understand the spatial and environmental factors that affect health outcomes, disease transmission, disaster response, access to health care and a myriad of other health concerns. This article discusses the establishment of the Center for Geographic Information Science and Health in the Department of Geography at the University of North Carolina Greensboro

Cartography and Geographic Information Science in Current Contents

The Cartography and Geographic Information Science (CaGIS) journal was published as The American Cartographer from 1974 to 1989, after that as Cartography and Geographic Information System, and since then has been published with its current name. It is published by the Cartography and Geographic Information Society, a member of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping.Časopis Cartography and Geographic Information Science (CaGIS) izlazio je od 1974. do 1989. pod naslovom The American Cartographer, potom od 1990. do 1998. ima naslov Cartography and Geographic Information System, a od 1999. izlazi pod današnjim naslovom. Izdavač časopisa je američka udruga Cartography and Geographic Information Society članica organizacije American Congress on Surveying and Mapping

Instructional geographic information science: map overlay and spatial abilities

The fundamental goal of this study is to determine if the complex spatial concept of map overlay can be effectively learned by young adolescents through the utilization of an instructional technique based within the foundations of Instructional Geographic Information Science (InGIScience). Percent correct and reaction times were the measures used to analyze the ability of young adolescents to learn the intersect, erase, and union functions of map overlay. The ability to solve for missing inputs, output, or function was also analyzed. Young adolescents of the test group scored higher percent correct and recorded faster reaction times than those of the control group or adults of the expert group by the end of the experiment. The intersect function of map overlay was more difficult in terms of percent correct and reaction time than the erase or union functions. Solving for the first or second input consistently resulted in lower percent correct and higher reaction times throughout the experiment. No overall performance differences were shown to exist between males and females. Results of a subjective "real-world" test also indicated learning by young adolescents. This study has shown that the practice of repetitive instruction and testing has proven effective for enhancing spatial abilities with regard to the map overlay concept. This study found that with practice, young adolescents can learn the map overlay concept and perform at levels equal to or greater than adults. This study has helped to answer the question of whether this development of spatial abilities is possible

Using Geographic Information Science to Map the Flight of the Regicides in Seventeenth- century New England

In mid-seventeenth century two of the judges who condemned King Charles I of England to death became regicide fugitives when his son came to the throne as Charles II. The two men fled to New England and eluded their Royalist pursuers for twenty years. I am attempting to track their travels and hideouts through standard historical research and, more recently, the use of Geographic Information Science (GIS), a form of digital mapping technology which organizes information in a geographical format by adding spatial coordinates to existing data to form a geodatabase. This article describes the application of GIS to test an eighteenth-century historian’s description of the regicides’ movements in Connecticut during the spring and summer of 1661

IUPUI Center for Health Geographics

poster abstractThe IUPUI Center for Health Geographics develops and supports research innovation through integration of geographic information science, medical informatics, community informatics, and public health. Our areas of research emphasis include geospatial technologies and standards for health surveillance, spatial and temporal contexts of health behaviors and health outcomes, and space-time models for investigating disease and mortality trends. Our poster highlights our collaborations, which include interdisciplinary partnerships with investigators in the fields of geographic information science, social science, clinical epidemiology, medical informatics, and health services research

Characterising Locality Descriptions in Crowdsourced Crisis Information

Humanitarian organisations are reluctant to use information from social media when responding to crises or conflicts, identifying trust and accuracy as principal concerns. However, the Geographic Information Science literature contains significant research into uncertainty, research we draw upon here to characterise locality descriptions in incident reports related to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. We do so using a classification developed to georeference locality descriptions in MaNIS, the Mammal Networked Information System. We found that although there are similarities between the datasets, crowdsourced crisis information presents significant challenges with respect to vagueness, ambiguity and precision (resolution)