Introduction and Welcome

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Welcome to the group online discussion for the Tobler Lecture 2012
Event: Are there fundamental concepts in GIScience?

In the over 40 years of GIS development and use, researchers have
turned to fundamental questions about GIScience. At the Association of
American Geographers' Annual Meeting this February, the GI Systems and
Sciences Specialty Group is organizing its annual Tobler lecture as an
event to engage this issue at a point in time where geographic
information has become a key enabler for many information age
developments. Two esteemed GIScientists, Nicholas Chrisman and Andrew
Frank, will offer their thoughts. These researchers have engaged
questions about core conceptual issues in GIScience throughout their
careers and are known for viewpoints that bring the range of
conceptual issues to the fore. Dan Sui will offer a commentary and
Kate Beard will moderate at the event in New York City on 26 February
2012. Audience comments and online listserv exchanges will extend the
discussion. Two observations frame these parts of the discussion.
First, is that the field of GIScience is undergoing change as GI
becomes an essential part of ubiquitous computing environments.
Second, it will be now 50 years since Waldo Tobler published his
dissertation, an academic event that preceded an illustrious career.
The Tobler Lecture Event 2012 comes at a highly suitable moment to
consider the past, reflect on the present and think about the role of
GIScientists in shaping the future.

The title of this year's lecture, "Are there fundamental concepts to
GIScience?",  addresses the continued importance of engaging
underlying conceptual issues in science. In this regard, and
reflecting Waldo Tobler's engagement with fundamental concepts that
informed the development of GIS and GIScience. The contributions and
comments should take up fundamental concepts with an eye towards
engaging where geographic information science and technologies are
going. Highly relevant to our contributions and discussion at the
lecture is the milestone that Waldo Tobler's PhD was completed in
1961, 50 years ago. One point of engagement for the lecture is thus:
Where are fundamental concepts now in relationship to developments of
the last fifty years? The 2012 Tobler lecture comes at a good point in
time to reflect on where GIScience is going, and its relationship to
the harnessing of geographic information technologies in ubiquitous
computing. The event, online group discussion and publications engage
spatial information communication, archival, and analysis issues that
remain central to GIScience.