Geography and GIScience: An Evolving Relationship

press release: GISystems have strong and longstanding roots in Geography, stemming from early developments in the 1960s and 1970s. But as the uses and sophistication of geospatial technology have grown and spread across virtually all areas of the academy, reducing Geography’s claim to ownership, that relationship to Geography has evolved in new directions. The critiques of the early 1990s have led to research into the societal context of GISystems that remains largely centered in Geography; techniques for the analysis of data embedded in space and time remain strongly associated with Geography; and rigorous principles have been discovered under the umbrella of GIScience that are widely recognized in Geography. Today new opportunities are being created by the growth of data science, by new sensors, and by new areas of application, suggesting that the relationship between Geography and GIScience will continue to evolve in interesting and exciting ways.

The Yi-Fu Lecture Series features a wide variety of U.S. and international guest lecturers from all geographic disciplines. Lecturers at these Friday seminars also often speak at brown-bag lunches, one-on-one student sessions, and breakfast meetings with student interest groups as part of their visit. Doctoral students are invited to present their final research. The lecture series was initiated by Dr. Tuan and receives enthusiastic support as a department and campus tradition.

All lectures are presented on Friday at 3:30pm in Science Hall - Rm 180 unless otherwise noted. Alumni, friends and the public are always invited to attend.