Is GIS a Science?
GIS as a tool, or a science.
When reflecting on the article “GIS: Tool or science? Demystifying the persistent ambiguity of GIS as ‘tool’ versus ‘science.’”, I found my personal experience and use of GIS to align more closely with the idea of GIS being a tool, as opposed to a toolmaking discipline or a science, as described by the authors. Based on my personal experience and our discussions in class, I get the sense that the more advanced someone is in working with GIS software and methods, the more comfortable they might be with the idea of GIS as a science. Once you move past the basics and become involved in the community and development of GIS, engaging in the conversation is more akin to scientific discourse as opposed to sitting on the side, using GIS software as a consumer rather than participant. The way GIS is taught to students in universities often paints software such as QGIS or ArcGIS solely as tools for students to use as a means to an end, as a way of solving a problem and coming away with an answer. But, as the authors of the article note, GIS has aspirations to be an all-encompassing scientific discipline, combining both geographical theory and empirical methods.
I think this spectrum of GIS is mirrored with the four themes of GIS discourse outlined by St. Martin and Wing, 2007, which are listed below.
- Singular technology
- Progressing along a linear path
- Inherently expansive and growing
- Universally applicable
These four discourses, as explained in the article, range from simple to most complex, in terms of implications and expansiveness of GIS. From just serving as a calculator-like downloadable software, to being a universally applicable science producing “abstract and universal truths and a mode of understanding and practice that is universally applicable,” the objective current impact of GIS probably lies somewhere in the middle. One’s personal utility of GIS, and its corresponding discourse, is closely tied with experience and comfort in with the skills and community surrounding the discipline.