Spatial Analysis in a Communicating World Michael F. Goodchild University of California Santa Barbara

The New Economy What are its fundamental principles? The computer as processing engine –slave, servant, assistant, butler The computer as communication medium –channel between sender and receiver –almost all communication in digital form

The Communication Metaphor Changing focus of concern –from MIPS, MHz, GB, functionality –to bandwidth, latency, thick or thin clients –to interoperability and shared semantics The Tower of Babel allegory –search processes, distributed systems, dissemination –assessment of quality, fitness for use, branding –intellectual property, liability

Addressing the concerns of MMQM Mathematical, quantitative Strong link to GIS –Taylor's 1991 critique Comparable SGs –GIS –Microcomputers –Cartography

Three Major Points Implications of the communication metaphor Augmentations of reality Mathematical models

The rise of digital technology Economic engine Digital transition –precise –accurate –pervasive

Geologic mapping catches the digital virus Field geologist Cartographer Printer Distributor Users Collectors Librarians Archivist

Impacts on mapping Cheap and affordable software and sensors –precision agriculture –city street maps From central to local production From radial to networked dissemination

Maps as media Visual –not spoken, acoustic, tactile, olfactory Flat Exhaustive Uniform scale Static Strong economies of scale –multipurpose –shared perspective Precise –little portrayal of uncertainty Slow

The Communication Metaphor Geographic information – –at 34N, 120W at noon PDT on 4/6/00 the air temperature is 23C –it's warm today in Santa Barbara –precise world of scientific measurement –vague world of human discourse

Text Spoken word Picture x, y, T It's warm in Santa Barbara

Engaging with the Vague World Spatial reasoning Wayfinding The GIScience agenda Precise communication filters and imposes Spatial analysis of vague information –reasoning with fuzzy sets

Comparing Paradigms Old: vague world has no relevance to science or spatial analysis –must change ways of thinking, work with concepts that are not intuitive New: vague and precise both have importance in appropriate contexts –engagement essential –modeling, reasoning, analysis under uncertainty

Augmenting Reality G-commerce –e-commerce that is geographically enabled Geographically enabling the Internet ALI –technologies that know where they are Field technologies –individual-level geographic data –extending the senses

Mathematical Models Communication of geographic knowledge –printed word –data dissemination Supporting other kinds of knowledge –infrastructure for models –learning about process

Mathematical and Computational Models PDE to finite difference approximations Models that are fundamentally computational –cellular automata Problems with geographic derivatives –slope in GIS

Concluding Comments This is a new world –competing for people's attention –new opportunities Analysis as enhancement of communication –revealing the invisible –creating new information –engagement with the human world

Concluding Comments (2) New opportunities for modeling –computer objects that produce transformations –Java code Renaming MMQM