FANTOM PLANET

I’ve been intrigued with Lisa Parks’ presentation at Where 2.0 last week. Personally, I like the topic because I study the exact same stuff in my day job—when I’m not Twittering. Yet, it had an air of ignorance in it. It was observed from a cultural studies, almost post-modern view. It might be an observation from the outside that we don’t care for, but it is interesting and a needed perspective.

So, do we think of the effect of our media? Those media that are representations of real life in spatial terms.

We could put some deep thought into this for years and months, but for any geo-types who feel like Parks gave us a bum rap, and for those who may want to challenge her assumptions about geo as a medium, then start off by reading a paper by Daniel Sui and Mike Goodchild. It’s called, “A tetradic analysis of GIS and society using McLuhan’s law of the media.”

This paper argues that GIS are increasingly becoming media for communicating various crucial social and environmental information to the general public. By reconceptualizing GIS as media, the paper conducts a detailed tetradic analysis on the social implications of GIS using Marshall McLuhan’s law of media. The analysis reveals the paradoxical and ambivalent nature of GIS technology. To make GIS fulfill democratic ideals in society, this paper calls for a shift of perspective, from viewing them as instruments for problem‐solving to viewing them as media for communication. This shift from instrumental to communicative rationality enables us to examine more critically and holistically how space, people and environment have been represented, manipulated and visualized in GIS and thus promotes a more critical and democratic GIS practice. [Emphasis mine]

For all things GeoWeb, this starts you off with some perspective where Parks was trying to come from. It did for me, and it’s probably why I’m reading books on media ecology and cultural geography of media. It’s a crazy shift for a kind of paleo/neogeography guy like myself, but just its another way of studying geography and our impact on place and people.

Understanding geo as a medium will help you realize the impact and design of your applications… As well as debating the academic film and media department’s evaluation of your lifestyle.

Wow! File this one under “crime mapping.”

First there’s the DevSummit this week, then there’s this!

A University of Redlands graduate student could face felony charges after police said he fired gunshots from the steps outside an off-campus student apartment complex.

It wasn’t me.

On Thursday afternoon, police found a discarded .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun near Pioneer Avenue and Judson Street.

Police found more evidence inside [the student's] apartment, Sgt. Travis Martinez said.

Police responded to a call of shots being fired about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 1100 block of Central Avenue.

Witnesses helped police find [the student's] residence near Central and Cook Street, part of a university-owned apartment complex for students, Martinez said.

[The student] was not home when police arrived, but police later found and arrested him, Martinez said.

It was unclear why [the student] fired the gun.

“We don’t believe he was firing at anybody or anything specific,” Martinez said.

[The student] faces either felony or misdemeanor charges, depending on which way county prosecutors lean.

It is a case known in legal terms as a “wobbler,” Martinez said.

[The student], who was working on his master’s degree in geographic information systems, withdrew Friday from the university, said Katie Ismael, university spokeswoman.

Who’d a thunk that I’d be living a life of danger?

For our program director’s sake, I’ll have to say this was an isolated incident and that we’re still a good program. This isn’t the ESRI Summer Camp and Women’s Prison.

So, what can I say about GIS and firearms? Well, let’s say, they don’t mix in most places. Although, we do have a student who works for the Redlands PD. Check out this cool video of him on a ride-along:

No, that’s not Chris Schmidt either.

(Thanks to to Dave Smith for pointing the article out… Who probably found it in his Google News search for “geographic information systems.”)

The Fake Steve Coast speaks the truth!

Oh, God? That must mean I go to the ARC/Tard Ladies’ Day School & Waffle Hut! 

Hey if millions of people aren’t having an edit war on this, then I might as well be the one who starts it. . .

Wikipedia defines GIS as:

A geographic information system (GIS), also known as a geographical information system or geospatial information system, is a system for capturing, storing, analyzing and managing data and associated attributes which are spatially referenced to the Earth. GIS is referred to as geomatics in Canada.

In the strictest sense, it is an information system capable of integrating, storing, editing, analyzing, sharing, and displaying geographically-referenced information. In a more generic sense, GIS is a tool that allows users to create interactive queries (user created searches), analyze the spatial information, edit data, maps, and present the results of all these operations. Geographic information science is the science underlying the geographic concepts, applications and systems, taught in degree and GIS Certificate programs at many universities.

Geographic information system technology can be used for scientific investigations, resource management, asset management, Environmental Impact Assessment, Urban planning, cartography, criminology, history, sales, marketing, and logistics. For example, GIS might allow emergency planners to easily calculate emergency response times in the event of a natural disaster, GIS might be used to find wetlands that need protection from pollution, or GIS can be used by a company to site a new business to take advantage of a previously underserved market.

It’s not so different than from what is in all of our textbooks. It says nothing about neogeography. Huh?

That doesn’t mean that neogeography isn’t GIS. The definition of GIS itself above is as a system, but can mean a science, or a service. Data in, gospel out. Same would hold true for neogeography applications and knowledge using the systems, the science and the services. I hear often enough from certain people in town that the web mapping applications that neogeographers build aren’t GIS and their data isn’t reliable. It’s all about the right tools for the right job folks, and it’s the right data for the right job too. As Tim O’Reilly once said, “It’s about the data stupid.”

We know our media is changing, but know that some things will remain the same: the geoid as an equipotential “lumpy potato”, Tobler’s First Law of Geography, and people will always say they like maps when you tell them you’re a geographer. I suggest we as GIS and geographer folk understand that change is happening otherwise. If you’re not down with change, get your acetate out and exacto knife and go start a hobby and preserve that lost art.

It has always been about the story of human life. Mine, yours, and the Fake Ed Parsons. (BTW: When the Fake Ed was at OS, he wrote the story of human life.) And we better damn well work together to help us tell it together. It does us no good to dump software packages into the deepest darkest collection of cubicles and say, “This is GIS, this will make your life so much better.” Then leave with no training and no discussion about sustaining a GIS. Employees with spatial info will blow it off, and it’s already been blown off inside the home. That’s why building the canvases of geography around the world are important. Google Earth, Virtual Earth, Yahoo maps, just to name the big guys. The likes of OpenStreetMap and Wikimapia, and Flickr and others where we’re mapping our communities and mapping our lives. Yes, this is great stuff. We need to let it grow and understand it, and not to kick your grandma off of Google Earth while she’s mapping her life’s story because “she’s not a geographer.”

(Written from the ESRI infirmary using Jack’s laptop.)

That’s right, the folks at the 3D search site for NYC now has a Facebook app.

To all of the nay-sayers in my office: “I’m right! You can do that stuff in Facebook. So, take off!”

I was recently faced with a serious dilemma the other day: Choose between a vendor yacht cruise or the Geoblogger Meetup.  (Tuesday 19 June, 8pm, Mr. Tiki)

This. . . was. . . a. . . hard. . . one. . . 

As much as I like going to sea and all, and hammin’ it up with business partners, facetime with geobloggers at the UC is much more important.   I like everyone and it’s hard to turn down free booze from a vendor, but the conversation with you guys is much more lively

It’s too bad the Chuck Norris of geoblogging isn’t going to be there.

By the way. I made a map.  Includes Mr. Tiki, the convention center, and the course of the Yacht Cruise with video.

Just kidding.

I was talking to James in the PlanetGS Meebo Room–now a widget on PlanetGS–about his “likability”issue. James says he gets some serious hate mail and back channel rumors. Not as much as Google Earth, but a fair share.

Now, c’mon people. Who could possibly hate James?

Yeah, I’m still here. So, don’t fret. I’m just busy. 

I have seemed to have fell into a posting slump these days.  I’m not reading as many posts as I should, I’m not interested (for some reason) in anything new—granted there’s not much that really blows me away these days.  I’m just lazy.

So, what would keep me going?

If I had a mashup of where sharks with lay-zers were with real-time surf data.  That would rock. Especially if I could control the sharks in Google Earth or something.

Still, with a little inner reflection—and the guidance of Chuck Norris—I think I will soon be motivated to contribute some goodies, if not at least, bad jokes about the geospatial industry.  Like the time a friend from another GIS company told me they “don’t compete” with ESRI. <scoff>Ry-ght!?!</scoff>

Back to important matters, looks Tuesday night at the UC may end up being the night for our GeoBlogger meetup.  James and I were trying to find out if that would interfere with the .NET SIG, a little like it did last year.  We don’ think it will, but if anyone really knows, give us a heads up.

Oh! I’m still working on finding a place.  We had about 40 people last year, I’m not sure how to garner a head count for possible participants either.  Invites sound lame, but bodies equate to how much the Google Earth Team can help us sponsor.

I’m still alive, contrary to those rumors running around how I’ve survived an early death.

So, it’s March and Where 2.0.3 and the ESRI UC are going on in, oh . . . 2 . . . 3 months from now. Which means it’s time to start planning ahead for Geoblogger Meetups!

Here’s the deal:

• I assume that something’s gonna happen at the ESRI Dev Summit next week.
• Jesse noted that there’s going to be one at AAG next month.
• Is anyone else going to ASPRS or not?
• I  may or may not make it to Where, but hopefully I do.
• The Google Earth Team asked me today, “Shouldn’t we be sponsoring your Geoblogger meetup at ESRI soon?”
• FOSS4G is on at the end of September.  Whew.  A break.

Busy geo-events going on.  Now’s the time to start recommending ideas for the old Meetups!  I know I’m on the hook for ESRI.  Anyone else have any ideas?  Can we even have a geoblogger meetup at Where?  Will anyone attend ASPRS, or has my boss sent me to the wrong conference again?

As most Planet Geospatial readers know, James has been going through a lot lately. Planet Geospatial craziness and plus, he’s in the middle of buying and selling his home. Talk about stressful situation. So, as James moves in and gets Planet Geospatial laced up we should do something to show our appreciation for him.

Oh, I don’t know. . . maybe chip in and pay for his Where 2.0 pass? (If he wants that?)

The justification is there because James, when it comes down to it, is the “Father of the Geobloggosphere?” He’s helped to establish a community of people who care about geography, GIS, location-based services, and other stuff through Planet Geospatial. So, why not do something for a guy who does so much for us?

So, we’re all smart people—at least smarter than me. How do we pull this off for James?

Caveat: Of course, we haven’t really asked what the Chuck Norris of GIS James wants, but we’ll make an assumption.