Geographic Information Systems: Critical Approaches

Abstract

Critical assessments of the nature and limitations of geographic information systems (GIS) as a social technology have matured, from stark opposition between critics and developers of GIS to a more constructive engagement. The result has been a broadening of GIS research to incorporate research based on critical approaches. Current research in this area focuses on both the influence of society on GIS, and the influence of GIS on society. The former examines how the evolution of GIS software, and of GIS practices utilizing the software, follow path-dependent and bifurcating trajectories that are shaped by the societal and institutional context. The latter addresses: Limits to GIS representations of the world; limits in access to and in the appropriateness of GIS technologies; legal and ethical implications of GIS use; and the applicability of GIS for redressing social and geographical inequalities. Emergent areas of research include the potential for developing digital technologies that convey geographic knowledge in very different ways than current GIS software, and the nature and permeability of the ‘digital divide’ creating unequal access to and utilization of GIS.