In their engaging 1997 article titled GIS: Tool or science? Demystifying the persistent ambiguity of GIS as ‘tool’ versus ‘science’, Wright, Goodchild, and Proctor delve into the multifaceted nature of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The authors argue that there are three distinct discourses surrounding GIS and its applications:
- GIS is a tool
- GIS is toolmaking
- GIS is science
After reading about these three perspectives and reflecting on my own personal journey with GIS, I find myself increasingly drawn to the notion of GIS as a science in its own right.
I first encountered GIS as a student in GEOG120. This course introduced me to spatial problems and the vast array of tools available in the Processing Toolbox which I could employ to solve them. Before I became accustomed to spatial analysis and methodologies, I was more familiar with using tools like Python for “data problems” similar to the ones I encountered in GIS. Consequently, I regarded GIS as simply another technical tool I could turn to.
However, as I began spending more time using GIS for research purposes and even for problems in my computer science classes, my perspective shifted. Now, I recognize the unique capabilities GIS offers for designing, understanding and solving spatial problems.
I find the concept of GIS as a process to be particularly interesting. I could consider the very act of devising workflows of refining the tools GIS bundles together to be a scientific endeavor in itself. In alignment with Wright et al.’s perspective, I agree that GIS facilitates the scientific method. It is a software suited to help us form and test hypotheses, describe, explain, predict, and ultimately gain a deeper understanding of the world around us. As the authors describe it, GIS is “an environment as well as a method used to discover, explore, and test spatial theory”.
Through my journey with GIS, I have had the chance to both pose spatial questions and to actively work towards comprehending and addressing them. To me, this embodies the essence of science—a continuous process and framework for generating knowledge and understanding.