Geographical Information Science observatories, theoretical and methodological transitions

Abstract

Over the past decades geographical information science has been progressively recognized as a scientific field of its own. Initially starting from a purely engineering perspective, geographical information science is now based on a series of fundamental theories and methods that largely contribute to its recognition in academia. The objective of this paper is to make an argument for more study of the ecosystem of geographical information science through an observational framework, and to examine the processes and abstraction of the different communities that interact with information about geographical spaces. The main idea is to explore and further develop the concept of a geographical information science observatory, the objective of which is to focus not only on geographical information as such, but also and indeed primarily on the users of geographical information, their motivations, and the theoretical, methodological, and technological frameworks with which they develop their information.