I found this conversation about temporal GIS to be a particularly interesting introduction to the topic of temporal GIS. This notion of GIS adds an extra dimension to my shifting idea of it being primarily based on the representation of maps to a tool in retaining and displaying data. Sinton (1978) notes that geographic data is based on theme, location and time, so it is interesting to note that all these notions can be reduced to digital quantification.
The authors do offer a hint at philosophical musings, but don’t delve deep into it. The simple notion of linear time was enough to spark the conversation of three separate ways of displaying temporal change. Though their idea of time is not marked exclusively by linearity, but they associate the concept into a topological understanding, based around temporal relationships one may have to one another. The three methods that were discussed seemed to meld representations of temporality with spatiality with each new method. The melding of the two dimensions may lead to an interesting discussion, as they are inseparable in GIS.
The authors choose not to delve into the topic of visualization, leaving it as ‘a problem to leave to future discussions’. I am doing my project on movement, so this notion of graphic representation felt like a clear framework to deal with the kind of data I’m handling.