Comments on: What is GIS? Why after 30+ years, do I feel like the field has an identity crisis? http://smathermather.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/what-is-gis-why-after-30-years-do-i-feel-like-the-field-has-an-identity-crisis/ Remote Sensing, GIS, Ecology, and Oddball Techniques Thu, 09 May 2013 03:14:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Chris Spoerri http://smathermather.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/what-is-gis-why-after-30-years-do-i-feel-like-the-field-has-an-identity-crisis/#comment-1135 Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:23:45 +0000 http://smathermather.wordpress.com/?p=1578#comment-1135 We have to remember: GIS is just a tool and as such is part of the IT (in my eyes). On the other hand, we have the GIS expert, which knows how to use the tool, do the complex analysis, etc. These experts don’t need to be part of IT department. Btw. the same pattern you can observe in other areas, i.e. the finance departments don’t maintain their own IT system, but they are still the once calculating the budget and all the other “fun” financial stuff.

I guess the problem is not a identity crises, but rather that we are not special anymore. We need to share our cool tools, we have to play along with otherwise (aka follow the IT guidelines). This in return means, that we loose our freedom to act the way we want. At the same time, this provides us with many new opportunities: finally we can play with the big boys, since we are able to add value to the business through integrating with other business system and processes.

So for me, GIS takes it a notch up and becomes even cooler and more interesting to work with!

]]> By: What is GIS? (continued again!) « Smathermather's Weblog http://smathermather.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/what-is-gis-why-after-30-years-do-i-feel-like-the-field-has-an-identity-crisis/#comment-1119 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:42:52 +0000 http://smathermather.wordpress.com/?p=1578#comment-1119 [...] What is GIS? Why after 30+ years, do I feel like the field has an identity crisis? [...]

]]> By: Casey McLaughlin http://smathermather.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/what-is-gis-why-after-30-years-do-i-feel-like-the-field-has-an-identity-crisis/#comment-1115 Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:38:53 +0000 http://smathermather.wordpress.com/?p=1578#comment-1115 I don’t think GIS is having an identity crisis, I think more and more GIS people are realizing that the perceptions of GIS have become overly limiting. Geography is an incredibly broad discipline but for some reason we started defining our roles through GIS. For many years GIS has been that specialized program that needs experts to run it. Today’s technology makes using it so much easier — such that everyone can make a map and everyone can create geospatial data. While there are still issues with using multiple projections, ArcGIS (for example) hides it all in the background by on-the fly re-projections. Google Earth (for example) makes comparing historical imagery a snap. Bing geocodes addresses in a snap — and will auto-correct mistakes as well. Users don’t NEED to know geography to use the software. All of this technology is causing us in the GeoSpatial Industry to question what we do.

Why do we use the GIS moniker to define our jobs anyway? Perhaps -that- was a mistake and is leading to identity issues. Would we be having this discussion if we realized ourselves as Geographers with specialized GIS skills? Would GIS be more clear if we were Information Specialists with expertise in GIS? The last few years I’ve understood more and more that the term GIS narrowly defines my expertise to both myself and my customers. I have specialized skills in geospatial information, but I want to be defined as a Geographer first.

Where should/can we be having this discussion?

]]> By: GIS And Geospatial Identity And All That Stuff - Again - 3DVW http://smathermather.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/what-is-gis-why-after-30-years-do-i-feel-like-the-field-has-an-identity-crisis/#comment-1098 Sat, 10 Nov 2012 13:00:59 +0000 http://smathermather.wordpress.com/?p=1578#comment-1098 [...] like there is lots of discussion about GIS having an identity crisis – again. As gravity changes and the oceans tides come and go, this discussion has been [...]

]]> By: Tom http://smathermather.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/what-is-gis-why-after-30-years-do-i-feel-like-the-field-has-an-identity-crisis/#comment-1090 Tue, 06 Nov 2012 01:21:41 +0000 http://smathermather.wordpress.com/?p=1578#comment-1090 Using GIS is for planners. Getting it working is for someone in GIS and that involves a lot of IT.

]]> By: What is GIS? (continued) « Smathermather's Weblog http://smathermather.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/what-is-gis-why-after-30-years-do-i-feel-like-the-field-has-an-identity-crisis/#comment-1085 Fri, 02 Nov 2012 04:45:46 +0000 http://smathermather.wordpress.com/?p=1578#comment-1085 [...] What is GIS? Why after 30+ years, do I feel like the field has an identity crisis? [...]

]]> By: Data for decisions | Deep Ink dot org http://smathermather.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/what-is-gis-why-after-30-years-do-i-feel-like-the-field-has-an-identity-crisis/#comment-1076 Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:40:32 +0000 http://smathermather.wordpress.com/?p=1578#comment-1076 [...] GIS is becoming an ambiguous term nowadays as its mixed being called spatial and seems to be having an identity crisis, I thought it was about time that someone reminded us that GIS has its roots in Geography. Dr. [...]

]]> By: Juan Tobar http://smathermather.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/what-is-gis-why-after-30-years-do-i-feel-like-the-field-has-an-identity-crisis/#comment-1075 Sat, 27 Oct 2012 15:17:01 +0000 http://smathermather.wordpress.com/?p=1578#comment-1075 Reblogged this on geoDemesne and commented:
Every “GIS” professional needs to read the three linked posts by Paul Ramsey, Brian Timoney, and James Fee NOW! Very interesting post on the state of GIS and spatial technologies.

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