Social Practice of:
Geographic Information Systems
Presentation developed in March 1996
by Nicholas Chrisman
University of Washington
Outline of Presentation
- Evolution of my research (through presentations)
- 1987: Fundamental Principles of GIS
- evolution through Geography of Geog. Info & Ethics paper
- What passes for 'debate'
- proponents and critics (equally embarassing at times)
- Social Practice of GIS
- revising the definition of GIS
- Low-Level Radioactive Waste (results of a case study)
- A new approach from the Sociology of Science
- Research Directions
Presentations about GIS and Society
an evolution of changing the topic
1987: Fundamental Principles of GIS
first presented at University of Washington Colloquium, then
Auto-Carto 8
- GIS not built solely from geometric axioms
- defined in institutional, social, historical context
- develop needs by examining mandates
- build cooperation by encouraging custodianship
1990: Geography of Geographic Information
presented at ICA Bournemouth; AAG; draft paper submitted to
Annals
- cartography: neither art nor science (regulated utility?)
- variations in production and consumption
- importance of historical context
1992: Ethics paper
presented at GIS/LIS San Jose
- auto-critique of cultural superorganic
- role of disciplines as guilds
- agency / self-criticism
What passes for debate
Proponents of GIS
- Dobson: Automated Geography (neo-Hartshornian)
- Abler: macroscope
- Goodchild: GI Science (return to Bunge?)
- Openshaw: GIS as savior of geography (?)
technology as objective, unitary and universal
proof by demonstration (investigator as agent of technological
change)
Critics (and other roles)
- Harley: Deconstructing the map (maps as power)
- Lake: GIS Wars (links to military power, rational planning)
- Curry: authorship, ethics ...
- Pickles: Ground Truth (GIS as virtual sign; Habermas ...)
- Harris & Weiner: (political ecology; GIS for South Africa)
technology as unitary and dubious
proof by demonstration (investigator as agent of social change)
Revising the definition
Many definitions proposed based on:
for example
Geographic Information System
A system of hardware, software, data, people, organizations
and institutional arrangements for collecting, storing, analyzing
and disseminating information about areas of the earth.
[from Dueker and Kjerne, 1989: Delphi process; 30 'experts']
A new definition
Low Level Radioactive Waste Siting
a case study of the social practice of GIS
Background
US Congress assigns responsibility for LLRW disposal to states.
Two basic approaches:
- Top-Down GIS-based process:
- Volunteer (locate site then try to justify it environmentally...)
Research Design
LLRW siting to study Social Practice of GIS
Sixteen replicates
Illinois
Martinsville 'volunteer' site rejected after 112 days of public
hearing;
environmental flaws; State then switches to GIS top-down
Connecticut
Top-down exclusion; 'blind selection'; rejected when sites
fall in district of Senate President; switch to volunteer
Nebraska
volunteer with very crude GIS; Initiative outspent 1:340 by
utilities
New York
1 mile grid cells, weighting and rating; rejected after hearings
'volunteer' of closed disposal site rejected; ...
Michigan
Created exhaustive exclusionary categories; excluded whole
state; ejected from Compact.
Pennsylvania
Massive detailed database (1:24,000; 10 m resolution); screeening
ran out of funds and patience; switch to volunteer
Some principles arising from research
on GIS and Society
Social context influences GIS;
GIS influences society.
Multiple social structures interact
'State' far from unitary
GIS technology should not be reduced to mechanistically determined
parts; people act as agents.
A Revised Framework
Derived from Sociology of Science
Joan Fujimura 1992 Crafting Science: Standardized Packages,
Boundary Objects and "Translation" Chapter 6 in
Science as Practice and Culture, Andrew Pickering (ed.)
A part of a revision of the history of science
no longer the history of ideas, (Post Kuhn, Post-Merton) but on
the social construction of knowledge through collective action
Standardized Package
a combination of theory, method, data and supporting technologies
that can sustain temporally stable activity spanning multiple
social worlds. (stabilizes facts)
Boundary Objects
concepts at the interface between social worlds;
Translation: things about which you can agree to differ
Research Direction
Research on boundary objects may be more fruitful than a direct
study of GIS technology as standardized package.
A key element of GIS remains the integration of multiple sources
"Wetlands" may provide a useful example of a boundary
object. (e.g. Wicomico County study)
Index from Here: | Back
to Chrisman page | I19 Position
Paper on social practice of GIS |
Version of 6 April 1996