Towards an SDI Research Agenda

TLDR

Geographic information research faces unresolved issues that are also relevant to SDI, with many questions unique to SDI examined only from technical or social angles, leaving no integrated perspective. The study seeks to align Geographic Information Science research agendas with ongoing SDI discussions and developments. The authors integrate technology, people, and content expertise within the Vespucci initiative to develop an integrated view of SDI science.

Abstract

We ask how research agendas of Geographic Information Science should reflect the ubiquitous discussions and developments on Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI). Many research issues surrounding geographic information remain unresolved and are equally relevant in SDI settings. More interestingly, however, a host of GI research questions are different in the SDI context or have only arisen in it. The literature has so far discussed them from either technical or social perspectives, but no integrated view exists to our knowledge. We attempt it by combining our specializations in the technology, people, and content dimensions of SDI with a joint perspective on the “science behind SDI”, as embodied in the Vespucci initiative.