Putting Geographical Information Science in Place – Towards Theories of Platial Information and Platial Information Systems

Abstract

Place is a concept that can hardly be formally captured at the moment, as it is unclear how instances of places can formally be represented and how conclusions about places can practically be drawn by technological means. Geographical Information Science scholars hence tend to use the term ‘Place’ even when, in fact, they presume a paradigm similar to the one assumed for Geometrical Space. As a result, Space and thematic information is mostly treated separately, and the richness and variety of Place descriptions in terms of identities, affective states, affordances, and further aspects that have been discussed in Geography since a long time are not (yet) reflected well in corresponding discussions in Geographical Information Science. This article reviews the ongoing debate and outlines directions of how to extend it much beyond the currently assumed spatial paradigm towards platial information. Thereby, possible approaches and future prospects as well as limitations of Theories of Platial Information and Platial Information Systems are explored. The agenda laid out and discussed in this article aims to set a frame of reference for a re-focussing of the ongoing discourse on platial information and stimulate future developments towards a Platial Information Science.