Reflections on Forty Years of Geographical Information in Scotland: Standardisation, Integration and Representation

This paper examines some of the key events which have influenced the development of Geographical Information Systems in Scotland, together with the contribution which Scotland has made to the international scene. It reviews local developments and applications, the people who brought these about and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inScottish geographical journal Vol. 125; no. 1; pp. 78 - 94
Main Author Gittings, Bruce M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 01.03.2009
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Cartography
Geographical information
Geographical information systems
Geography
Government policy
Information analysis
International
linking silos
Mapping
place-names
policy
Scotland
Strategic planning
strategy
United Kingdom
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Summary:This paper examines some of the key events which have influenced the development of Geographical Information Systems in Scotland, together with the contribution which Scotland has made to the international scene. It reviews local developments and applications, the people who brought these about and links them to key technological milestones on the international stage. The paper also examines issues of contemporary concern, putting these in the context of the GI Strategy for Scotland published by the Scottish Government in 2005. The paper considers the importance of a definitive place-name gazetteer and the need for a place-name authority to create and maintain this as key to the promotion of textual geographical information. Also addressed is the loss of cartography as an academic discipline and increasingly as a profession, together with the tendency to create data silos, to which a solution is proposed.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
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ISSN:1470-2541
1751-665X
DOI:10.1080/14702540902873881