地理信息科学(GISd)尚不成熟,但中国地理信息系统(GIS)高等教育发展快速,因此GIS学科发展面临许多问题和挑战。尝试从哲学本体论、认识论和方法论角度探讨GIS学科中的几个基本问题:现实世界、概念世界、数字世界、空间认知、空间表达、空间分析与研究方法。同时从社会实践角度总结了GIS应用中的组织、管理与社会问题。1)系统总结地理空间、空间认知与信息表达的关系以及地理信息的基本特征;2)回顾GIS的概念与内涵演变,论证GIS概念的多样性与同一性,分析了几个代表性的GIS研究方向;3)在回顾地理学研究范式转变的基础上,探讨空间分析、知识产生过程以及基于GIS的地理学研究范式;4)辨析GIS与组织管理间的关系、GIS与社会间的互动关系,特别强调发展中国家GIS应用面临的问题。建议围绕“空间认知与表达”、“GIS方法论”、“GIS、组织与社会”进行跨学科研究,完善GIS学科体系。
Considering the immaturity of geographic information science (GISci) and the rapid increase of undergraduate programme of geographic information systems (GIS) in China's higher education institutions, the discipline training is problematic and challenging. In this paper, several fundamental issues in GISci are reviewed and discussed from multiple perspectives of philosophical ontology, epistemology, methodology and social practice. First, the relationships between geographic reality, spatial recognition and spatial representation, and the diversified natures of geographic information are systernaticaIly analyzed. Second, the concepts and meanings of GIS since 1980s are summarized from academic literatures, and the practice diversity and spatial universality inside multiple GIS descriptions are explored. Third, based on the review of the paradigm shifts in geography and the emerging of GIS in geographic research, the authors argue to develop the GIS-based problem-solving methodology as a new paradigm of geography. Fourth,critical issues such as GIS and organizational management,GIS and society and GIS applications in developing countries are introduced. The authors conclude that multidisciplinary researches on 'spatial recognition and representation', 'GIS-based problem solving methoology ,‘GIS, organization and society' will nurture geographic information science and supplement the current GIS curriculums.