From: dmarble@MAGNUS.ACS.OHIO-STATE.EDU (Duane F Marble)
Newsgroups: comp.infosystems.gis
Subject: The GIS Master Bibliography Project
Date: 26 Jul 92 16:07:47 GMT
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                      The GIS Master Bibliography Project

                                 Introduction

      Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are complex computer
software systems for the storage, retrieval, analysis, and display
of large volumes of spatial or map type data. As such, they
represent a highly specialized area with respect to both their
technical development and their application within a large number
of disciplines concerned with spatial data handling.

      Historically, technical development of the GIS has often gone
hand-in-hand with its application to real-world problems. These
real-world problems have, in many cases, been responsible for
driving the technical evolution of the GIS and are clearly doing so
in some important cases today. For example, the current theoretical
consideration of complex questions such as the effective incorpora-
tion of temporal considerations into the GIS, end-to-end consider-
ation of the effects of errors in the data, extension of GIS
operations to three full spatial dimensions, etc., reflects
existing, and in many cases urgent, needs for application of
advanced GIS technology.

      Because of its substantial value as a tool in many spatial
analysis situations, GIS has attracted both technical and applica-
tions-oriented workers from a large number of fields (geography,
forestry, landscape architecture, computer science, civil engineer-
ing, plant biology, etc.). One specific result of this widespread
popularity of GIS technology has been the creation of a GIS
literature which is highly diffuse and, in many cases, fugitive as
well. Only a single, GIS-specific journal exists and it is increas-
ingly difficult for both researchers and developers in GIS to
identify, let alone locate, such materials as proceedings from the
many regional and application-specific meetings which are being
held, limited distribution technical reports from universities,
etc.

      The growth of GIS applications has been explosive and is
expected to continue to be so for at least the remainder of the
decade. This explosive growth rate results in the injection of many
new professionals to the GIS arena every month. Typically, the new
entrant (whether interested in technical or application topics) has
little or no knowledge of what has gone before or what is happening
elsewhere. Turning to the literature is not an effective solution
since for many even identifying the literature represents a
substantial task. As a result, the GIS field is increasingly
characterized by excessive duplication of effort which leads to a
significant waste of resources as well as high opportunity costs.

                     Goals of the GIS Bibliography Project

      The primary goal of the GIS Master Bibliography Project is to
provide an infrastructure component which will increase the
efficiency of both technical and applications-oriented workers in
the area of geographic information systems. A secondary goal is to
provide a database from which a comprehensive picture of the
current state of development in GIS can be established, and from
which measurements of the rate of development can be established.
We also hope, if sufficient funding can be found, to make available
to researchers (perhaps in CD-ROM format) much of the early,
fugitive literature of GIS.

      The project proposes to address the initial goals through the
construction and operation of an easily accessible, public-domain,
bibliographic database which will be available to the GIS communi-
ty. The database will address both technical and application-
oriented topics and will be international in scope. Operationally,
the database will be split into technical and applications-oriented
components for reasons of efficiency. It is also planned, in so far
as possible, that the bibliographic databases will be maintained in
an extended form, that is, with the addition of abstracts and other
information in addition to basic citations.

                          Organization of the Project

      Primary project direction will be provided by Professor Duane
Marble of the Department of Geography of The Ohio State University.
Professor Marble will also assume responsibility for the applica-
tions-oriented portion of the bibliography. Professor Donna Peuquet
of the Department of Geography of The Pennsylvania State University
will be responsible for the portion of the project addressing
technical topics in GIS. Professors Marble and Peuquet will be
assisted by the members of a small Operations Committee represent-
ing both academic and non-academic segments of the GIS community
and a number of Regional Correspondents who have agreed to assume
primary responsibility for identifying contributions to the
bibliography originating in their local areas.

      An initial planning grant has been received from the Environ-
mental Systems Research Institute of Redlands, California, and
operating funds are currently being sought from a variety of
governmental and non-governmental sources. We are also actively
seeking the support of relevant professional associations for this
important inter-disciplinary effort.

                          Access to the Bibliography

      It is our current intention to make the GIS Master Bibliogra-
phy available on the Internet via FTP. One version will be
maintained in Unix REFER format on a Sun workstation located in the
GIS Laboratory of the Department of Geography at The Ohio State
University. Other versions of the bibliographic databases will be
maintained in EndNote/EndNote Plus formats for both the PC DOS and
Macintosh environments.

                          Inquiries About the Project

      Professor Duane F. Marble
      Department of Geography             Telephone: (614) 292-2250
      The Ohio State University
      Columbus, Ohio 43210                Fax: (614) 292-6213

                           E-mail: MARBLE.1@OSU.EDU

*********

Note:       EndNote and EndNote Plus are inexpensive, commercial
            bibliographic systems produced by Niles and Associates,
            Inc., 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709. The Niles
            products were selected for use in this project since they
            support both PC and Macintosh users and are capable of
            importing and exporting REFER files.

--
Duane F. Marble            E-mail: dmarble@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
Dept. of Geography
The Ohio State University  Telephone:  (614) 292-2250
Columbus, OH 43220         Fax:  (614) 292-6213