Social Practice of:
Geographic Information Systems

Presentation developed in March 1996
by Nicholas Chrisman
University of Washington


Outline of Presentation


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

1990: Geography of Geographic Information

presented at ICA Bournemouth; AAG; draft paper submitted to Annals

1992: Ethics paper

presented at GIS/LIS San Jose


What passes for debate

Proponents of GIS

technology as objective, unitary and universal
proof by demonstration (investigator as agent of technological change)

Critics (and other roles)

technology as unitary and dubious
proof by demonstration (investigator as agent of social change)


Revising the definition

Many definitions proposed based on:

  • connection to maps or database
  • connection to software toolkit
  • role in applications (such as decision support)
  • 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.

  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission (in NUREG 4.19: Guidance for selecting sites, 1988) suggests use of GIS
  • Sixteen states conduct siting studies
  • No site licensed and open yet...
  • Two basic approaches:

    1. Top-Down GIS-based process:
    2. exclusionary screening,
    3. multi-criteria decisionmaking
    4. Volunteer (locate site then try to justify it environmentally...)
    5. involves offering economic incentives

    Research Design

    LLRW siting to study Social Practice of GIS
    Sixteen replicates

  • same regulation (purpose, broad goals)
  • differences must arise from differences in context
  • (method of implementation; institutional culture...)
  • 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

  • Institutions, industries
  • Disciplines, guilds, professions
  • Social, political, economic
  • '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

  • multiple social worlds of disciplines
  • multiple mathematical worlds of measurements
  • multiple abstract worlds of computer implementations
  • "Wetlands" may provide a useful example of a boundary object. (e.g. Wicomico County study)

  • six sources of wetlands for different purposes
  • technical differences impede a coherent agreement
  • yet, importance of wetlands remains unchallenged

  • Index from Here: | Back to Chrisman page | I19 Position Paper on social practice of GIS |
    Version of 6 April 1996