What Is Geographic Information Science (GISci)?

You need to know where things are, right? From hiking trails to the capacity of your favorite lake, it's all about the location. Geographic information science (GISci), or GI Science, is multidisciplinary. It deals with data in a place and is often used for decision-making in urban and regional planning, public health, epidemiology, environmental science, and many others. The techniques and technologies used in this field are advanced and require high expertise. To process and analyze the data, experts in this field must understand the areas that produce the data. This is what makes the field of geographic information science so diverse. It involves generating data and information related to a particular location or area. It is used in different sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, and marketing, to name a few. Geographic information science is also called geoinformatics. It is an interdisciplinary field that combines computer science, statistics, and cartography. In the last few years, this field has seen tremendous growth with the development of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and blockchain, which have helped solve many problems in this field. It is a progressive, interdisciplinary field with applications in many different areas, such as social science, natural science, engineering, public policy, and business. The International Association of Geographical Information Systems (IAGI) is the largest professional association for GISci. The International Cartographic Association (ICART) has a Commission on GISci and a Working Group on GISci. GISci has many different definitions; however, all descriptions acknowledge the multidisciplinary nature of the field and its application in many other areas. The most widely accepted definition of GISci comes from the International Encyclopedia of Geography: GISci is a field of research examining GIS technology's applications, implications, and impacts. It is a science that gives you the power to see, understand and change the world in new ways.