GIS as a tool-making medium is something that interests me personally. The Goodchild article touches on this, but I’m not so concerned about the debate. I’m more fascinated by the potential that GIS holds due to its open source capabilities. From the easiest “model-builder” in ArcMap to more complicated programming, GISystems have allowed users to customize the applications of the tool. I would love to create a tool(box) app. in my personal project. I want to exploit the tool! I want to create a model and be able to program arcMap to perform simple calculations based on a set of parameters that I attribute. I want to avoid performing labour-intensive tasks; we have technology and I want to use it to my advantage—but I also want to be fully aware of the ramifications of customizing and exploiting the software. Critical GIS…?
Looking to the Future, and to Real Life Applications
GIS as a tool spans across different fields, but I might argue that without the technician behind the tool, the handling of spatial data becomes a liability. There is no issue between tool or science. It is naïve to isolate one from the other. I wonder if we should be taking a closer look at those applying GIS technology during spatial investigations. The discussion thus far has felt as if GIS exists in a vacuum, and I’m curious to know more about how GIS is misused in real life
– Andrew “GIS” Funa