ABSTRACT
Geographic information systems (GIS) are computer-based systems for storing and processing GI about sets of locations. Location is central to problem solving and GI is likely to be required about multiple attributes of locations – and often more attributes than can be conveniently or clearly indicated on a paper map. GI science provides a framework for learning from the accumulated experience of using GI systems. The history of GIS is intimately bound up with that of computer cartography, because a GIS is a computerized tool that can be used as a container of maps in digitized form. GIS have therefore had to adapt to a new era of large volumes of rapidly generated and less precise data. Leading such developments are the open source GIS platforms that, arguably, are symbiotically linked to the volunteered GI (VGI) communities – more effective software leads to greater data generation and utilization.
