Whose hand on the tiller? Revisiting “spatial statistical analysis and gis”

Abstract

Anselin and Getis argue in their 1992 paper “Spatial statistical analysis and GIS” that the development of a toolbox of spatial analytic techniques should be directed by the scientists whose work defines the need for such a toolbox. The field of GIS has changed fundamentally since 1992 as a result of new technical developments, including a general move away from the map as the defining metaphor, the influence of the Internet and the World Wide Web, and changes in the practice of software engineering. Science as a whole has also changed, towards a more collaborative model that is more dependent on computational infrastructure. The impacts of space on the methodology of science are also better understood. The Anselin and Getis paper was remarkably prescient in its identification of the major issues that continue to affect the relationship between spatial analysis and GIS. Institutional issues continue to frame the relationship between GIS and spatial analysis, and are best addressed through partnerships.