1 / 23

GIS for Politics

GIS for Politics. Andrew U. Frank Geoinfo TU Vienna frank@geoinfo.tuwien.ac.at. Key Experience:. Comparing AM/FM with GIS in mid ‘80s: success reports for AM/FM hopeful projects with GIS Why?. Why is a Technology Successful?. Technologist push what is technologically feasible.

emile
Download Presentation

GIS for Politics

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. GIS for Politics Andrew U. Frank Geoinfo TU Vienna frank@geoinfo.tuwien.ac.at

  2. Key Experience: • Comparing AM/FM with GIS in mid ‘80s: • success reports for AM/FM • hopeful projects with GIS • Why? GIS PlaNET 1998

  3. Why is a Technology Successful? • Technologist push what is technologically feasible. • Success stories: Fax, www • GIS did not grow as quickly, • despite potential for use. • Consider: Social demand! • Do we respond to demands? GIS PlaNET 1998

  4. My background • dipl.ing. Surveying from ETH Zurich • doctorate in database modeling for GIS • NCGIA - U Maine • research focus at TU Vienna: • modeling with cognitive science perspective • economics and marketing for GIS GIS PlaNET 1998

  5. My approach to GIS • initially: • concern for the limited natural resources. • I hoped GIS would help to a better world. • Folk theorem: • More information leads to better decisions. • I still believe in rationality, even in politics. GIS PlaNET 1998

  6. GIS Today: • - successful in day to day management of administrative data • -support for planning • Rapid growth, • but not commensurate with potential. GIS PlaNET 1998

  7. GI used in Political Decisions • Substantial potential, • but seldom used. • Exceptions: -Political campaigns, • - redistricting • Why not more use for decision making. GIS PlaNET 1998

  8. Reasons for the lack of use of GIS in political decision making • A technologist answer: • Politicians are not interested. • A practical answer: • GIS are too complex to be used. • Improvements of user interfaces are necessary! • Neither of the two are sufficient answers. GIS PlaNET 1998

  9. Does the GIS provide the Information Politicians need? • Politicians focus on • - changes • - decide on actions to change situation to improve • - concentrate on situation affecting the population • Similar question can be asked for other potential users. GIS PlaNET 1998

  10. What Information Produces a GIS • Detailed information about current state. • Static • Information often related to land cover (data from remote sensing). • Limited information on social parameters. GIS PlaNET 1998

  11. Case: European Agricultural Politics • Known: current situation • Required: a new policy to • - reduce cost to EU • - improve environment • - balance social situation • Possible actions: • change rules for subsidies • Eminently a “GIS” type problem. GIS PlaNET 1998

  12. What is Required? • Data about change. • Integration of data from • environment, • agriculture and • social system. • Help to predict effects of rule changes. • Models for processes. • Methods to evaluate alternatives. GIS PlaNET 1998

  13. Data Quality Required • Politically fiable • Generalized data • Rational chain of arguments to link observations to actions • Examples from past for justification GIS PlaNET 1998

  14. Integrate Physical and Human Geography Data • The issues are at the interaction of humans with the environment. • The GIS must integrate the data from environmental sensors with the data from the administrative system. • Technology: • Seamless integration of raster and vector technology • Interoperability of GIS of different agencies GIS PlaNET 1998

  15. Technology required for spatio-temporal data • Change is crucial, • To describe change a temporal database is required. • Watchword: No GIS without time! • (the requirement is similar for most administrative applications of GIS) GIS PlaNET 1998

  16. Technology required to Model Process • Politicians decide about rules, not about states. • (the same for urban planners). • Process models connect the rules with the state and result in a model of the future state. • This future state can be evaluated to assess the desirability of the new rule. GIS PlaNET 1998

  17. Limitation to Static Data is in the Logical Foundation • First order predicate calculus is de rigor for CS. • Base for Relational Data Model. • Complex ‘temporal logics. GIS PlaNET 1998

  18. Higher Order Languages • In first order languages functions, which are the model of process and change,are not generalizable • f (a) is first order, • but not • for all f where f (a) = b is f (b) = a GIS PlaNET 1998

  19. Potential Solution • Use second order calculus! • For Technologists: • - Functional programming language based on higher order languages • merged with • - Object-Oriented Technology GIS PlaNET 1998

  20. Haskell • - a functional language with performance within a factor of 3 ... 7 to C++ • - logically clean • - spatial temporal databases using a temporal ER model (Chorochronos project) GIS PlaNET 1998

  21. Conclusion 1: Geographic Information Product - GIP • 1. Start with potential user and the decision which must be taken. • 2. Consider the information required for the decision. • 3. Create an information product to satisfy this need. • 4. Find technical solution to produce the GIP. GIS PlaNET 1998

  22. Conclusion 2: Technology required to satisfy the need of Politicians: • - spatio-temporal database • - integration of physical and social science data • - construction of spatial process models • - interoperability GIS PlaNET 1998

  23. Conclusion 3: Research Issues • Semantic integration of data from different sources using models of common processes • Assess Data Quality • from data through process to decision GIS PlaNET 1998

More Related