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Track: Application Development Techniques
Yu Luo
Indiana State University
Science 159
Terra Haute, IN 47809
Telephone: 812-237-2251
Fax: 812-237-8029
E-mail: geluo@scifac.indstate.edu
Spatial Analysis Education and GIS Componentware Technology
Defining Issue: How GIS componentware technology such as MapObjects will affect the spatial analysis education. The GIS industry has been catering the increasing needs for GIS by providing easy-to-use software, bundled data, customized routines, and connection to back-end data. GIS componentware represents the latest industry effort in GIS technology diffusion and democratization. It provides application developers with tools rich in GIS and mapping features. Three major reasons are behind this effort: expanding GIS market through spatial data-oriented applications, reaching out to the potential users who do not yet need full fledged GIS software, and creating brand recognition and market control. This trend, however, does not stop the debate about whether GIS has degraded spatial analysis because, in comparison to full scale GIS, componentware is so far only a tool set with crippled GIS features. It fails to address many tasks geoscientists traditionally deal with such as geographic modeling. There
are also questions about GIS education. Since many developers are not very geographic educated, the danger exists that the applications developed may not be "geographically correct." So far, GIS componentware lacks safeguard measures. The future of GIS componentware, however, is bright. The market demands will continue to drive the technology, and the continuing development of GIS technology itself will alleviate some concerns regarding its gap with the expectations of spatial analysis. The continuing academic critiques will push the vendors to improve their safeguard measures.
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