Cultural Differences and Cultural Aspects in Geographical Information Systems

Abstract

Cultural issues are becoming important GIS research topics. Cultural issues affect the design and use of GIS technology. In this paper cultural issues are differentiated into cultural aspects and cultural differences. Cultural aspects and cultural differences in GIS are per se extremely ample in number. A review of current approaches shows the broad range of points of view. As GIS technology has several definitions, cultural differences and aspects have been considered, explicitly and implicitly, from various points of view. This paper describes and discusses some of the most relevant approaches following a simple taxonomy. Various and different issues are treated in their own contexts. A number of definitions for cultural issues as well as a framework for research approaches follow a survey. Actual and practical examples of cultural aspects and differences are shown. Suggestions are also made on how research may address the issues.