Schuurman Chp. 2 Notes

GIS, Human Geography, and the Intellectual Territory Between Them

GIS vs Human Geography

• Early on, human geographers believed that GIS was useful for managing information but did not have the capacity to analyze and produce any real knowledge.
• Supporters of GIS argued that GIS is a technology most useful when operated and guided by geographers as a tool for finding knowledge, not as a substitute.
• It was assumed that GIS is supported by the private sector so it is only used to solve their problems.

Epistemology – methods that we use to study the world, and the lenses that they entail. It is the perspective that a researcher uses to understand phenomena.

Ontology – What something really is, its foundational essence

Today, almost all scientific and technical production is a result of machines and computers. Technology affects how we do research.

• Technology is developed with social problems and goals in mind.

The map that the causal user sees is only the tip of the iceberg as Schuurman puts it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tip of the Iceberg

The entire Iceberg

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