Cartography and GIS

Facilitating collaboration

Bibliographic Data

ID11948827
AuthorsAlan M Maceachren (0000-0002-0356-7323, GeoVISTA Center, Department of Geography, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume24
Issue3
Pages445-456
Publication date2000-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueProgress in Human Geography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0309-1325 • E-ISSN: 1477-0288
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1191/030913200701540528
OpenAlexW2046520480
LanguageEN
Citations received17
References cited37

Maps and geographic information systems (GISystems) both encode spatial relation-ships in structured formal representations. These representations enable shared under-standing of geographic phenomena and their interdependencies. This formal encoding makes maps and GIS inherently well suited to facilitating collaboration among human participants in thinking and decision-making about the geographic-scale environment. Recent conceptual and technical developments in geographic information science (GIScience), and in information technology more generally, suggest we are on the cusp of a substantial increase in the role of maps and GISystems as mediators of collabora-tion – in a range of contexts that include urban planning, resource management, scientific inquiry and education (see, for example, the NCGIA Initiative 17 specialist report on collaborative spatial decision-making, Densham et al., 1995, and the rapidly expanding literature on Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) – e.g., Prates et al., 1997; Shum et al., 1997). Collaboration can take many forms and research focused on collaboration about geographic phenomena and problems can be approached from many perspectives

Cartography · Environmental planning · Environmental resource management · Geography · Regional science · Environmental Science · Geographic Information Systems Studies · Semantic Web and Ontologies · Speech and dialogue systems