Representations of Space and Time

Book excerpt: Recent advances in information technology have enabled scientists to generate unprecedented amounts of earth-related data, with tremendous potential for dealing with pressing social, economic, and environmental issues. Yet the volume and heterogeneity of available data clearly overwhelm traditional analytical approaches, as well as the human capacity to derive patterns and useful insights. This book examines how geospatial knowledge can be analyzed and represented in a manner that not only is accurate and coherent, but also makes intuitive sense to the end user. Integrating concepts and approaches from geography, computer science, cognitive psychology, and philosophy, Donna J. Peuquet explores the processes by which people acquire, represent, and utilize spatiotemporal knowledge. Arguing that the human user and the computer must be viewed as interrelated components of a single system, she provides principles and recommendations for improving the design of geographic information systems (GIS) and other geospatial modeling tools. An ideal student text or professional reference, this book fills a crucial need in geographic information science.