Over the past two decades, techniques for advanced computing and enhanced imaging have transformed the ways planners, geographers, surveyors, and others think about and visualize the places, regions, and peoples of the earth. Ground Truth is the first book to explicitly address the role of geographic information systems (GIS) in their social context. Contributing authors consider the ideas and practices that have emerged among GIS users, demonstrating how they reflect the material and political interests of certain groups. Chapters also discuss the impact of new GIS technologies on the discipline of geography, and evaluate the role of GIS within the wider transformations of free-market capitalism.
I recommend it highly for GIS users and instructors....Planners' use of GIS would be richer and wiser if those who used and taught the technology paid attention to the important lessons contained in this book. --Richard E. Klosterman inAPA Journal
There is a great deal of substance for important and engaging debate...GIS is an extremely important medium that has had relatively little attention paid to its message. This book advances the search for the essence of that message... --Prof. Tom Meredith, Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives
... the contributions of many of the chapters inGround Truthoffer intellectually insightful work that will help connect the work of social theorists with the GIS research community. --Francis Harvey, University of Washington, Professional Geographer
Ground Truthprovides just the kind of illuminating critique of spatial technologies that has long been needed. In an era of hype about the Information Superhighway it is often difficult to sort out who benefits and who loses in the rush to embrace this dream. Pickles has assembled here a selection of major authors who are familiar with GIS and spatial technologies in order to help us pick a way through these l³7
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