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The recognition that local participation is a critical goal of development has contributed to the popularity in a set of techniques designed to increase local participation and knowledge in planning processes. Identified as participatory rural appraisal (PRA), this trend is marked by the use of a variety of high-end technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS). An interesting and related trend has come from members of the GIS community who argue that a "participatory GIS" is required to ensure local knowledge and participation in a variety of planning initiatives. This synergy of interests has resulted in a growth of research in the developing world that attempts to merge PRA methods with GIS tools. This paper examines the separate, but increasingly complementary, traditions of PRA and GIS. Ten case studies that combine participatory methods with GIS in Latin America, Africa, and Asia are evaluated to consider how these traditions are being applied by communities to protect ownership of te...

The aim of this study is to evaluate the applicability of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), used increasingly in primary and secondary education across the world, in social studies lessons in Turkey. In line with this aim, 14 social studies teachers working in the province of Aydin, Turkey received a 6-hour training course about GIS during the 2011-2012 academic year. The training covered theoretical information on GIS, a demonstration of ArcGIS 9.2- a GIS software widely used in the world, and the presentation of GIS-based teaching materials prepared by the researcher prepared in accordace with the Turkish national social studies curriculum for primary schools. Following the training, interviews were conducted with the teachers, during which their views were sought regarding the applicability of GIS in social studies lessons in primary education, its benefits, potential difficulties, and what action should be taken. Data were collected using a 'Teacher Interview Form' consisting of 6 open-ended questions developed by the researcher. Content analysis was used for the data analysis. The study revealed that the teachers found GIS considerably useful in primary education due to its ability to enable students to learn visually, improve their map skills, and promote retention. However, the teachers also mentioned several potential problems, including their own shortcomings in using both computers and GIS, the lack of time allotted for such activities, students' inadequate computer skills, and the level of difficulty of GIS since it has been found to be rather difficult for the students. A number of solutions to these problems have been proposed in the study.KeywordsGeographic Information Systems (GIS), Education, Social Studies, Teachers' Views.Today, helping students realize how to access information and then to make use of this information instead of simply teaching them increasing amounts of information has gained greater importance. Since a large portion of the information taught in today's era of radically changing education systems requires a proper awareness of the physical aspects of the world and since Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a system in which spatial information may be stored, visualized, and analyzed, GIS finds itself as a valuable tool able to promote students' ability to comprehend and conceptualize such information.. GIS is an information system providing an integrated fulfillment of the following functions: the collection, storage, analysis, and presentation of graphical and non-graphical data obtained through location-based activities (Yomralioglu, 2002, p. 49).The number of studies revealing the benefits of using GIS in education has increased in recent years. Among these benefits are: GIS enables student-centred learning (Audet & Paris, 1997). In student-centred approaches focusing more on individual and group work, students are motivated toward creativity, problem-solving, and producing and expressing ideas (Kucukahmet, 2000). Via GIS, students become involved in the process of obtaining information rather than being taught monotonous information and skills during their educational career. The use of GIS improves students' problem-solving and research skills (Audet & Paris, 1997; Johansson, 2003; Kerski, 2006; Malone, Palmer, & Voight, 2002; Shin, 2006; West, 1998). GIS enhances spatial awareness (Audet & Ludwig, 2000; Johansson, 2003; Lee & Bednarz, 2009; Qiu, 2006). GIS promotes students' computer skills and attitudes towards technology (Baker, 2002; Pitts, 2005).GIS is also an important tool for aiding students to gain geographical consciousness, which can be defined as willingly having, protecting, using, organizing, planning, and saving nature and elements belonging to humans (Karabag & Sahin, 2007). GIS helps students to realize natural and human elements. Moreover, planning and analyzing the data regarding these elements makes decision-making easier. …

In city planning managing the third dimension is becoming a necessity. Using 3D GIS modeling within a GIS environment offers a flexible interactive system for providing the best visual interpretation because it aids the planning and decision-process. Previous 3D virtual models did not have to be completely accurate. It did need to be a relatively accurate representation of the true simulation of reality. Every point in 3D GIS models has their true coordinates, so they can express terrain features in an intuitive way which enhances the management and analysis of a proposed project through 3D visualization.A university campus is a complex infrastructure. New students and first- time visitors have a hard time orientating themselves and finding places. This paper discusses the concept of 3D GIS modeling techniques using the following simple procedure to generate a university campus as a real 3D GIS model which will show the effectiveness of the 3D GIS modeling approach. The 3D GIS model provides access to mapping data to support planning, design, and data management. Intelligent GIS models and GIS tools help community planning and apply regional and discipline-specific standards. Integration of GIS spatial data with campus organization helps to improve quality, productivity, and asset management. The following study built 3D GIS map and all utility information for Al al-Bayt University campus as a case study. The primary objective is to establish a 3D GIS for the Al al-Bayt university campus, Jordan to improved data management (e.g., maps, plans, usage of facilities, services) and to develop methods using 3D spatial analysis for specific applications. Validerad; 2014; 20131021 (nadhir)

The term ‘geographic information system’ (GIS) has become synonymous with a wide range of computer applications, technologies, and scientific methods related to the use of geospatial information. Although the origin of GIS can be traced back to early electronic mapping tools, such as the Canada Geographic Information System (CGIS) developed in the mid-1960s, limiting the definition of GIS to a spatial visualization tool would be to disregard its current scientific and technological standards, as well as the huge expansion of GIS applications in science, public administration, and economics. Driven by the rapid growth of computer technologies on the one hand and globally increasing demands on spatial information on the other, GIS has evolved from an electronic mapping facility into a fast-growing spatial science technology in less than 40 years. Due to the amalgamation of computer-assisted cartography with database technologies and growing capabilities of analyzing data across different layers in an object-oriented programming environment, current GIS provides a universal management technology for capturing, analyzing, modeling spatial data, and finally providing insights in a spatial dimension as basis for management decisions. Thus the application of GIS methods is very well suited as an indispensable tool for dealing many spatial questions about soil as a major environmental resource.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have become widely accepted in historical research and there are increasing calls for them to be used more widely in humanities disciplines. The difficulty is, however, that GIS comes from a quantitative, social science paradigm that is frequently not well suited to the kinds of sources that are widely used in the humanities. The challenge for GIS, if it is to become a widely used tool within the humanities, is thus two-fold. First, approaches need to be developed that allow humanities sources to be exploited within a data model that is usable by GIS. Second, and more importantly, researchers need to demonstrate that by adopting GIS they can make significant new and substantive contributions to knowledge across humanities disciplines. This paper explores both of these questions focussing primarily on examples from literary studies, in the form of representations of the English Lake District and history, looking at nineteenth century public health reports. A GIS is effectively a form of database. It differs from a conventional database in that every item of data within it is linked to a location on the map, thus a typical GIS will consist of a table of quantitative data where each row within the table is linked to a point, line or polygon (representing an area) that maps the location to which the row of data refers. The key advantage of this structure is that it allows the user to explore not only what is occurring but also where it is oc [...]

The growing use of GIS in university research and teaching environments has created a demand for data, software, and technical support that is best accommodated by a central GIS service provider. The library is a natural candidate for this role. While some academic libraries only provide GIS-formatted data, others offer exhaustive services, ranging from GIS courses to contract GIS work for students and faculty upon demand. This paper discusses how the Stanford University Library System has integrated GIS support into its suite of services offered to patrons across all academic disciplines. Two case studies illustrate how the library meets patrons' diverse and detailed GIS information and technical needs.

It is estimated that between 25 000 and 75 000 plant species are used for traditional medicine. Only 1% is known by scientists and accepted for commercial purposes. Part of the modern pharmaceutical industry is developed on the basis of plants discovered and use by indigenous peoples and local communities, even though the economic benefits are not equitably shared. The Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 (CBD) mandates that contracting Parties, to preserve and maintain knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles relevant for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and promote their wider application with the approval and involvement of the holders of such knowledge, innovation and practices and encourage the equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of such knowledge, innovations and practices. Traditional Knowledge in the fields of medicine, healing, and biodiversity conservation are well known and the need for protection of this traditional knowledge is a cross-cutting issue at the moment involved in discussions from different institutions, with different approaches. The Intellectual Property Rights mechanisms are not able at the moment to protect those forms of traditional knowledge and indigenous peoples and local communities believe that they are subject of biopiracy which is the unauthorized use of traditional knowledge or biological resources. It is neccesary to work with indigenous peoples and local communities to provide legal tools, and various forms of proteccion of traditional knowledge and to achieve international consensus on the solutions obtained.

Geographic information systems (GIS) play a crucial role in the management of the environment and allocation of resources in many application domains. We discuss appropriate technologies and their requirements including the GIS technology issues such as data acquisition, database technology and interoperability tools as well as the availability of suitable models. In this paper, the project I-VOIR is discussed which is a prototype for GIS inquiries via the Internet for inland shipping traffic. Our conclusions are based on the evaluation of this project.

Highlights the emergence of the knowledge‐based economies reliant on their effectiveness in developing and utilising knowledge. Knowledge embodied in new products and services has become the primary source of wealth creation. Digital networks provide access to vast amounts of data and information, but knowledge management is required to translate data and information in a meaningful way. Knowledge management initiatives are unlikely to be successful unless they are integrated with business strategy, and related to the development of the core capabilities of the organisation. Sharing the discovery and synthesis of intellectual activity involves the creation of knowledge communities of practice.

Geographic information systems (GIS) are analytical and decision-making tools that organize, compare, and analyze disparate types of information into one organized system. They have powerful visual display capabilities that present the results of analysis on maps and, in doing so, provide unparalleled power to examine social, economic, and political circumstances. In essence, GIS is the best technology to understand and solve problems related to place and space. The promise of GIS is increasingly reflected in the public administration literature (Brown and Brudney 1998; Masser 1998; Nedovic-Budic and Godschalk 1996; Ventura 1995). However, past observations about GIS have focused more on technique and less on the consequences of those techniques for the public service and democratic society. This article will examine the implications of GIS, which have a bearing on the issue of democratic governance. In doing so, an overview of GIS is followed by an examination of the relationship between this technology and democratic values. GIS: An Overview The heart of GIS is the data and the way they are organized. Generally, two types of data comprise a GIS system: spatial data (pertaining to geography and space) and attribute data (spatially related data, such as population, income, or disease). Spatial data are the cornerstone of GIS: The accurate representation of geography on a computer screen requires a thorough understanding of geography and cartography and the process by which geographic data are transformed into digital maps. Unlike paper maps, digital maps are very flexible in that, by organizing the data differently, the display of the map on the monitor can differ. In essence, GIS is to spatial analysis what statistical packages are to traditional statistical analysis. By the mid-1990s, the worldwide market for GIS products and related services was nearly $2.5 billion (Korte 1997, 66). While the ultimate power of GIS lies in the data, data dissemination has been much slower than the development of the technology. This is due, in part, to differing data formats used by agencies, reluctance to share data, and a lack of funding to create or buy new data. Once the technology is acquired, local government agencies face roadblocks due to data limitation. To make data widely available under a single format, the federal government has taken several initiatives, including the creation of the Federal Geographic Data Committee.(1) In April 1994, President Clinton signed an executive order (12906), calling for the establishment of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).(2) Prior to the federal government's involvement in data dissemination, local agencies had invested an enormous amount of resources in creating their own GIS. Today, local governments generate approximately 90 percent of GIS data (Hissong and Couret 1999). Therefore, new federal initiatives to create the NSDI have not been welcomed by many federal and local agencies, which believe the council would duplicate work already being done. Additionally, in many cases it would require the conversion of existing data to NSDI standards. As an alternative to federally dominated efforts, some have argued that the private sector could play a significant role in creating a national dataset (Hissong and Couret 1999). However, as has been the case with other new policy initiatives, it would be difficult to unite GIS users into a common front without significant incentives from the federal government. Evidence of GIS in Public-Policy Implementation GIS is considered largely a public-sector technology (Ventura 1995). The technology has significantly influenced the way public administrators implement public policy: GIS is being used for planning and community development, environmental protection, integrated public-safety response, infrastructure management, transportation planning and modeling, assessments, facility siting, vehicle routing, permitting and licensing, election management and parcel/real estate management. …

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been increasingly touted for their ability to help empower indigenous peoples. The opportunity to discuss the development of an iwi-based GIS with Te Ruunanga O Raukawa provides a platform for reflecting critically on issues that impact the effective use of GIS by indigenous groups. The dialectical context of GIS is explored by (re)considering the opportunities and challenges of applying GIS as a cross-cultural communication device. A position is negotiated which interprets GIS as conditionally empowering provided that indigenous peoples consider their symbolic representation in, and physical access to GIS before making an initial investment in the technology.

Argues that the knowledge management process can be categorized into knowledge creation, knowledge validation, knowledge presentation, knowledge distribution, and knowledge application activities. To capitalize on knowledge, an organization must be swift in balancing its knowledge management activities. In general, such a balancing act requires changes in organizational culture, technologies, and techniques. A number of organizations believe that by focusing exclusively on people, technologies, or techniques, they can manage knowledge. However, that exclusive focus on people, technologies, or techniques does not enable a firm to sustain its competitive advantages. It is, rather, the interaction between technology, techniques, and people that allow an organization to manage its knowledge effectively. By creating a nurturing and “learning‐by‐doing” kind of environment, an organization can sustain its competitive advantages.

Integrating a geographic information system (GIS) with an existing pavement management system such as the Texas Department of Transportation Pavement Management Information System is not as simple as merely installing a new piece of software into the existing pavement management system and then operating it. A successful GIS implementation involves not only the information technologies themselves but also other elements, such as personnel and their GIS skills, the organizational structure within which they work, and the institutional relationships that govern the management of information flow. All of these elements need to be managed in an interactive manner. GIS can serve as a platform for integrating various types of data, systems, and technologies. Because of the nature of rapid changes in GIS and related information technology, a well-developed GIS implementation plan is essential. The development of a comprehensive and practical implementation plan using GIS to enhance the pavement management practice in the Texas Department of Transportation is presented. As the basis of the implementation plan, a “three-stage implementation” concept was used to assess the current practice, define the visionary system, and identify the intermediate solutions. Also presented are several key issues and aspects important to the successful implementation of GIS for pavement management.

This paper proposes a new framework to understand the use and value of GIS by social movement groups and to transcend the contested debate over how and whether GIS should be adopted. It frames the ...

GIS eased into geography without much discord until the 1990s, when a flurry of commentaries about the relative merits of GIS made their way into a number of geographic journals. The ensuing decade was marked by varying degrees of friction between GIS practitioners and their critics in human geography. Despite the methodological chasm between the two groups, little discussion of the implications of these differences has ensued. This article fills that gap with a historiographic examination of critiques of GIS. Critiques of GIS are organized into three waves or periods, each characterized by distinct arguments. The first wave, from 1990 to 1994, was marked by the intensity of debate as well as an emphasis on positivism. By 1995, the conversation waned as the number of critics grew, while GIS practitioners increasingly declined comment. This second wave marked the initiation of a greater degree of co-operation between GIS scholars and their critics, however. With the inception of the National Center for Geographic Information Analysis (NCGIA) Initiative 19, intended to study the social effects of GIS, many critics began to work closely with their peers in GIS. In the third wave, critiques of GIS expressed a greater commitment to the technology. Throughout the decade, debates about the technology shifted from simple attacks on positivism to incorporating more subtle analyses of the effects of the technology. These critiques have had considerable effect on the academic GIS community but are presently constrained by limited communication with GIS practitioners because of the absence of a common vocabulary. I argue that, if critiques of GIS are to be effective, they must find a way to address GIS researchers, using the language and conceptual framework of the discipline.

Geographic Information System’s (GIS’s) capabilities for gathering and disseminating information have been hailed as democratizing, whereas the system is simultaneously criticized as inherently authoritarian. These contradictory characterizations of GIS permeate the current debate on transfer and applications of the technology in indigenous communities. This article reviews the debate in the context of GIS adoption in sub-Saharan Africa. A case study is presented to demonstrate how GIS can be used to assist local community representatives to plan for the protection of local forest resources. The results of the study, which was implemented at Kofiase in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, reinforce the belief that GIS can be used for the benefit of indigenous groups rather than for their disempowerment.

Geographic information systems (GIS) is a fairly new and evolving curriculum area within geography and other disciplines at colleges and universities in the United States. The challenge of teaching underlying concepts of GIS functionality, the details of computer operation and software interfaces, as well as the contexts of various applications can be a difficult one. At Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a teaching strategy—Client-Life Cycle GIS Project Learning—has been introduced in which students in an upper level GIS course work with local organizations, faculty from other university departments, and governmental entities. This allows students with some GIS background to work with real clients; utilize and operationalize the concepts of the GIS Project Life Cycle; make the connection between data development, analysis, and applications development; provide expertise and needed data to local organizations; and see the utility and impact of their work. A group pilot project from the spring se...

While the integration of GIS in the planning process is becoming more commonplace for efficient description of basic facts, it has not been widely used by planners for the incorporation of local knowledge. This article describes a new approach, termed “Bottom-Up GIS” (BUGIS), in which GIS is placed in the realm of expression and used as a means of expression. The advantage of using GIS in participatory planning activities is that it provides spatial complexity, spatial context, and interactivity and interconnection in the articulation of viewpoints. Thus, BUGIS can be an effective tool to deepen our understanding of residents' perceptions of local issues and preferences.

Canadian aboriginal (First Nations) groups wish not only to preserve their heritage, but also to see that heritage given its proper place in decisions that affect the land. Each community is unique in the diversity of problems and concerns that it faces. Modern knowledge-based systems permit customized solutions to complex issues, but there is currently no good method of representing traditional knowledge in the computer, in a way that helps the needs of communities to be individually addressed. Most traditional knowledge information is presented in anecdotal form and is therefore difficult to classify and analyze. Elicitation, representation and use of knowledge is a major area of research in the field of Artificial Intelligence, leading to development of knowledge bases and expert systems. The present study describes the elicitation and representation of the traditional knowledge from bands belonging to the Nicola Tribal Association in British Columbia. The study aims at representing the interaction of community and environment in a manner that can be used to show the differences among communities. This paper focuses on the relationship of the traditional knowledge to modern forest management.

The GIS literature abounds with strategies to guide the development of a corporate GIS as a single project but lacks discussion on the long term management of the GIS. This paper documents a recent study into GIS development in a state department over an 18-year period. It applies the productional perspective of GIS to model long term GIS development diagrammatically and identifies five patterns of GIS development. The outcomes reveal some long term characteristics of a corporate GIS, based on which a three-stage approach is developed to guide the long term development of an ideal corporate GIS.

Knowledge is an interesting concept that has attracted the attention of philosophers for thousands of years. In more recent times, researchers have investigated knowledge in a more applied way with the chief aim of bringing knowledge to life in machines. Artificial Intelligence has provided some degree of rigour to the study of knowledge and Expert Systems are able to use knowledge to solve problems and answer questions. Current business, social, political and technological pressures have forced organisations to take greater control of the knowledge asset. Software suppliers and others offering valuable solutions in this area have unfortunately clouded the issue of knowledge. Information and data control are seen as implicit knowledge management tools and many have abandoned the search for explicit knowledge management methods. Knowledge representation schemes help to identify knowledge. They allow for human understanding and machine application and they can support the automated use of knowledge in problem solving. Some of these representation methods also employ spatial techniques that add an extra dimension to human understanding. Knowledge mapping defined in this work uses learning dependency to organise the map and draws on the ideas of what knowledge is and on spatial representation structures. Knowledge maps can support metrics that provide information about the knowledge asset. Knowledge maps create a visible knowledge framework that supports the explicit management of knowledge by organisation managers and directors. Knowledge maps also offer other advantages to the organisation, the individual and to educational institutions.

The history of GIS is traced, and a working definition is established. The early development of GIS was driven by spatial analysis, but more recent visions of the role of information technology generally, and GIS in particular, have tended to widen rather than narrow the gap between the two fields. GIS is seen as serving a much more populist vision, in which rigorous and mathematically sound analysis is challenged from a number of directions. Four basic tensions are identified, and the current status of efforts to resolve them is reviewed.

The relationship between spatial analysis and GIS has been a debating point for over a decade. Some see GIS as leading the way to a new era in which the desire and the ability to analyse spatial data is widespread, not just in geography but throughout all disciplines in which spatial data are encountered. Others see GIS as simply providing a medium for the recycling of out-dated spatial analytical techniques and models. This paper describes a role for GIS through the development of new forms of ‘local’ or ‘context-dependent’ spatial analytical methods in which the focus is on exceptions to the general trend represented by the more traditional ‘global’ methods.

Agenda 21 dedicates a whole chapter to the role and importance of information for sustainable development. Among the provisions on harnessing the potential of information and communication technologies (ICT) one paragraph addresses the need for a strengthening of the capacity for traditional information. Local communities and resource users should benefit from mechanisms that provide them with the know-how they need to manage their environment and resources sustainably, applying traditional and indigenous knowledge and approaches. This paper will examine how this objective is being implemented through the use of spatial information systems (including GPS and Remote Sensing), which collect, manipulate and distribute data on a variety of environmental factors, in order to inform and encourage sustainable resource management practices. Some initiatives have adopted grassroots and participatory approaches, whereby local communities map their territories and resources with the help of information technologies. This paper will review a sample of these projects and analyze how they can generate synergies between traditional knowledge and modern science.

A Geographical Information System (GIS) has recently been developed for the assessment of the agricultural potential of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The main value of this GIS is the integration of agricultural resource information from the SADC countries in order to support regional planning. The development of GIS technology makes it possible to compile, store, retrieve, analyse and display vast quantities of spatial data on, inter alia, the climate, topography, soils and infrastructure of the region. This article aims to give background information on the nature and general application of a GIS. Attention is given to the capabilities of a GIS, the spatial questions that drive analyses, basic database requirements, analytical and operational functions, as well as the applications of a GIS in land reform. More detail on the spatial agricultural resource data captured and its use by means of the SADC GIS will be described in a later article.

Eric Sheppard's call for the broadening of the GIS research agenda emerged within the context of the 1990s debates between the GIS community and human geographers. Sheppard envisaged the development of GIS as a social technology. The transformation of geographic information systems has not occurred, however. Four reasons are identified for this lack of transformation: the continued positivist assumptions of GIS practitioners; the limitations of the computer technology; the commercially oriented development of GIS; and the hype and popular momentum of GIS in geography, These present limitations cast a gloomy outlook for the transformation of GIS into a social technology in the future.

A tool that has proliferated within civil engineering in recent years is geographic information systems (GIS). The goal of a tool is to supplement ability and knowledge that already exists, not to ...

GIS managers traditionally consider three perspectives of the nature of GIS when introducing GIS into an organization. When the GIS is developed to address focused and well de® ned problems of the organization, these perspect- ives adequatelydescribethe changingidentities of GISin thestudyof itsdiA usion. However when the GIS is developed to address strategic, but vaguely de® ned problems, as typically is the case of a corporate GIS, these perspectives are inadequate for describing it. Therefore a new perspective is developed for the corporate GIS and the signi® cance of the new perspective on GIS diA usion research is discussed.

This paper addresses data modeling problems inherent in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) that are not adequately covered by traditional modeling techniques. GIS technology has only recently begun to be used for traditional system development by large numbers of organizations and there are few procedures for modeling GIS data and applications in a business context. This circumstance is partially a result of the fact that GIS developers have traditionally been knowledgeable end users or facilitators and they have generally been called on to build standalone systems, often for their own use. This paper discusses geographic systems and proposes relational modeling techniques that document organizational data integrity rules when systems that include spatial data are developed for more widespread use.

This case study investigates the potential use of GIS as a means for teaching geography to elementary students. A GIS learning project based upon constructivist pedagogy was developed and introduced to a fifth grade classroom. The findings suggest that the GIS module afforded students considerable opportunity to practice geographic skills. In addition, GIS in the elementary classroom can be highly motivating; however, it is also likely to cause a great deal of frustration. Several promising approaches to the use of GIS at the elementary level are suggested: using local data in the context of an authentic problem, developing elementary level GIS modules, and using a collaborative approach in association with the cognitive apprenticeship metaphor.

SUMMARY This article is a consideration of the implications for the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology in social work practice as a tool for improved visualization of social and economic inequalities. Along with a brief, general introduction to GIS, overviews are included of the historical uses of geographic mapping, as well as current applications of GIS technology in social work practice, education, and research. Specific illustrative examples of GIS-gener-ated maps are presented.

The popularity of Internet technology has brought about some fundamental changes in the field of GIS. Internet GIS is emerging as a new technology to access, process, and disseminate spatial information over the Internet. Internet GIS cover a much wider audience than the traditional GIS. This raises many issues that are distinct from traditional desktop GIS, such as easy access, web-compatible user interface, and file transfer security. I will first discuss the definition and features of Internet GIS. Two major approaches used in the Internet GIS development -- server-side processing and client-side processing -- are then described. These approaches are compared according to their performance, user interactivity, and other criteria. The server-side approach is appropriate to provide users easy access and inquiry of large databases, whereas the client-side Internet GIS offer better user interactions. The technology of Internet GIS is evolving rapidly. It is therefore important for the GIS community to monitor and define the course of its development.

As in other areas of planning practice, the use of GIS in neighborhood planning has assumed a technical top-down approach. Given the fact that GIS are essentially about providing and analyzing spatial data, it is difficult to envision how their use in local communities could be construed otherwise. In this paper I make a case for the need to channel intellectual energy into developing an approach and methodology for resident-generated GIS . Specifically I argue that there is a need to exploit GIS in the investigation of residents' perceptions of local neighborhood environments. I explore this approach in five sections. First, I present a definition of resident-generated GIS and position it within the larger debate on public participation GIS. Second, I offer a review of the current use of GIS in local neighborhood communities. This consists of an empirical assessment of neighborhood GIS as well as a critique of community GIS from the perspective of scholars in planning and geography. Third, I review the theoretical background that is integral to -- and must form the basis of -- a resident-generated GIS. Three theoretical traditions are relevant: environmental perception; indigenous information and its use in GIS; and neighborhood-level issues that could be enlightened through the use of GIS. Fourth, I propose a methodological framework for constructing and utilizing resident-generated GIS. Fifth, I discuss the political implications of a resident-generated GIS.

Geographic information systems (GIS) are powerful tools for analysis and interpretation of spatial data commonly encountered in fisheries science. We presented details of GIS use in fisheries management in a prior study and found cost to be a factor limiting GIS use. This article introduces fisheries managers to free or open-source GIS. Free or open-source GIS are readily available, powerful tools capable of performing a variety of spatial analyses. We strongly encourage managers wishing to perform spatial analyses, but who are unable to purchase software, to consider free GIS.

Geographical Information Systems enable spatial analysis of a scale and nature that has never been possible before. However, their practical utilisation in transport research remains limited. This paper describes the specific experience of using the TransCAD GIS to assess different ways of organising food shopping. It concentrates on the role played by the GIS. In doing so, it aims to highlight many general problems that limit the scope of GIS use, as well as the benefits of such systems, and the broader issues which affect research based on GIS. It concludes with recommendations for greater compatibility, standardisation and reliability for both GIS and GIS data, to encourage their use in the future.

Ancient conceptualizations of ecosystems exist in several Amerindian, Asia-Pacific, European, and African cultures. The rediscovery by scientists of ecosystem-like concepts among traditional peoples has been important in the appreciation of traditional ecological knowledge among ecologists, anthropologists, and interdisciplinary scholars. Two key characteristics of these systems are that (a) the unit of nature is often defined in terms of a geographical boundary, such as a watershed, and (b) abiotic components, plants, animals, and humans within this unit are considered to be interlinked. Many traditional ecological knowledge systems are compatible with the emerging view of ecosystems as unpredictable and uncontrollable, and of ecosystem processes as nonlinear, multiequilibrium, and full of surprises. Traditional knowledge may complement scientific knowledge by providing practical experience in living within ecosystems and responding to ecosystem change. However, the “language” of traditional ecology is different from the scientific and usually includes metaphorical imagery and spiritual expression, signifying differences in context, motive, and conceptual underpinnings.

Geographic information systems (GIS) technology is rapidly becoming a management and research tool for fisheries professionals. We surveyed fisheries programs at 42 U.S. universities about their training in GIS and uses of GIS in fisheries research; twenty-four universities responded. Our survey revealed that fisheries students who use GIS take introductory and advanced GIS courses offered in earth science departments at their universities and/or seminars on applications of GIS in natural resources offered in their departments. A solid core of GIS courses is available at U.S. universities for fisheries students interested in developing this expertise. On average, twenty-one percent to forty percent of fisheries faculty and students indicated they occasionally used GIS in their research. The most common fisheries-related uses of GIS were mapping and modeling fish distributions and aquatic habitats, and evaluating the effects of watershed land use on fish populations, communities, and habitats. In ...

Integrating geographic information system (GIS) concepts into civil engineering (CE) education is very important not only to meet the urgent needs of non-GIS professionals in engineering, but also to teach students relevant skills in spatial analysis, reasoning, and data processing. Recent improvements in computer hardware and software also make it possible for GIS technology to move effectively into the education arena. This paper reviews the current status of GIS uses and developments in civil engineering education, then presents guidelines regarding a GIS course setting, education methods, and infrastructure needs. To determine current uses of GIS in education, a survey of Canadian universities was conducted. The results show that 53% of the universities that responded have GIS courses (or CE courses in which GIS concepts are included) and 30% plan to include GIS contents in their future curriculum. GIS course settings at three educational levels are presented. Education methods of teaching GIS in the classroom include demonstration teaching, hands-on interactive learning, and self-paced learning. Internet sources for teaching GIS are also presented. GIS infrastructure needs in CE education include software and hardware, data sources, and laboratory setting. The results of this study should help to promote the use of GIS technology in CE education.

Summary This paper introduces Geographic Information Systems (GIS) user services in libraries. It presents the concept and functions of GIS and compares the use of GIS with library map collections. GIS project in libraries are reviewed. Different kinds of GIS user services are examined. The article looks into the challenges in adding GIS to user services in libraries. User access to GIS in libraries is discussed. It argues that simplified user interfaces and multiple levels of usage are important to improve user access to GIS.

Geographical information systems (GIS) are potentially powerful devices for integrating, manipulating, and communicating information, and are acknowledged to be vulnerable to the abuse of that power. A significant debate during the 1990s has challenged GIS users to respond to the suggestion that their technology is restrictive, elitist, and antisocial. In practice, the response from the GIS profession has been muted, and the paper therefore comments on the way in which professional GIS implementation might be interpreted from different perspectives. Comparisons are drawn between analytical GIS in post-Apartheid South Africa and operational GIS in the UK public utilities. GIS is shown to be an operational or decision support engine fuelled by information flows, and in creating the organisational pathways to support these flows it unlocks gateways the defence of which has traditionally underpinned the authority of management and government. A dilemma thus emerges. On the one hand, GIS has unprecedented power to disseminate access to usable information. On the other hand, it still supports a division which generates a technocratic elite. It is suggested that information democracy lies not in information flow as a technical process, but in information management. As a consequence, it is concluded that a code of data ethics may be at least partially effective in allowing a professional response to the critics of GIS.

An organization's strategies for managing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) play a crucial role in the success of the technology within the organization. As with any technological innovation, th...

The "GIS and Society" literature has raised a number of critical issues concerning the political economy and epistemology of geographical information systems (GIS) and the politics and power relations associated with their use. Recently, attention has focused on the potential for GIS to help empower communities. This paper reviews the GIS and Society debate. Case studies of public participation GIS are reviewed. The GIS-empowerment-marginalization nexus is addressed through the concept of community-integrated GIS. It is argued that GIS is a contradictory technology that simultaneously marginalizes and empowers people and communities. As a result, the societal impacts of GIS are contingent upon particular configurations of place-based historical, socio-economic, political, and technological conditions.

In this paper the empirical findings and basic frameworks used in the evaluation of GIS are reviewed. In the studies reviewed, a variety of evaluation criteria are employed, but they still contribute sporadic, unsystematic, and inconclusive evidence. Going beyond a discussion about the need for measuring GIS impacts, and an uncritical and unselective adoption of computerized tools, I emphasize here the importance of assessment and feedback for better adaptation of GIS technology to the needs of urban planning. Comprehensive, multidimensional, context-based, and process-based evaluations can contribute valuable information to guide the developments in GIS technology and to facilitate efforts in GIS implementation in public and private organizations.

The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in elementary and secondary school education has come to be paid attention to in recent years. In this paper, we attempt to discuss this use from two viewpoints. The first is from recent trends in the United States, where we can find many examples of GIS use in K-12 education. The other is from the possibilities of GIS within the Japanese educational system.

There is strong contemporary interest in the application of traditional environmental knowledge (TEK) of physical environments and land-use patterns in northern Canada. This interest relates to land claims, land-use planning, cultural preservation, resource management, and environmental monitoring. The application of TEK to land and resource management is critically examined and a typology relating scale, user group, and the transformation of knowledge is developed. Of the many challenges facing the incorporation of TEK in resource-management initiatives, perhaps the greatest is the recognition of the appropriateness of scale. The conclusions reached in this paper reaffirm the notion that scale and context are key components in maintaining the validity and integrity of TEK. The primary role of TEK appears to be with providing the most valid and intelligible interpretations of local geographies and prescribing locally appropriate resource-management strategies.

Geographic information system (GIS) technology is a rapidly growing and powerful method for managing and analyzing spatial data and information for libraries. This article provides an introduction to GIS basic concepts, reviews the range of GIS usage in libraries, and presents some challenges, strengths, and opportunities for libraries and GIS.

A geographical information system (GIS) is much more than a computerized mapping system, it is a system designed to acquire, to manage and to process spatial information. In the current trend of a multidisciplinary approach of earth environmental management, GIS offer a basis for integrating both data and analysis tools from a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines. This paper aims to present an understanding of concepts and methodologies involved in the field of GIS. It describes major steps involved in processing spatial information and illustrates the diversity among GIS uses. As a GIS is not only a set of computerized tools, but a fully integrated environment for the management and the analysis of spatial information, it requires from the applied fields of geosciences to interrogate about the nature and content of relevant information, as well as about the transfer of classical investigation and analysis methodologies.