Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/50311
Google's Lior Ron envisioned that "Google Maps = Google on Maps (blip.tv/oreilly-where-20-conference/ lior-ron-google-maps-google-on-maps-975838)." As a result, we now can search traditional map informa- tion (e.g., road networks, topographic features, etc.) as well as a plethora of multimedia information as long as they have a geocode. For example, if you search Columbus, Ohio, using Google Maps, you'll see the road networks as well as photos, videos and Wikipedia entries linked to various locations in the Columbus metropolitan area. To most people, "Google Maps = Google in Maps" may simply represent a technical advance, but to me it represents a major conceptual paradigm shift from space to place. The convergence of GIS and social media further prompts a new level of urgency for theoretical works to reconcile the worlds of space (traditional GIS) and place (social media). How to formalize place in the GIS context will be interesting and challenging. Until recently, place has been "off the intellectual radar screen" of GIScientists, many of whom appear to treat place the same as space, but preliminary work has begun in the digital gazetteer literature. In a broader sense, the emerging critical and qualitative GIS literature has espoused a subtle shift of focus from space to place in GIS practice. But in GIScience, we still don't have an overarching theory of place or how to work with the concept. In the coming years, it will be gratifying if GIS can finally find its place. References Agnew, J. 2005. "Space: Place." In Spaces of Geographical Thought, Cloke, P., Johnston, R.J. (Eds.), pages 81-96. London. Agnew. J. 2011. "Space and place." In The Sage Handbook of Geographical Knowledge, Agnew, J., Livingston, D.N. (Eds.), pages 316-330. Los Angeles. Casey, E.S. 1997. The Fate of Place: A Philosophical History. University of California Press, Berkeley, Calif. Curry, M.R. 2005. "Toward a geography of a world without maps: Lessons from Ptolemy and postal codes," Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 95, No. 3, pages 680-691. Haklay, M. 2010. "The tyranny of place and OpenStreetMap," povesham.wordpress. com/2010/07/10/the-tyranny-of-place-and-openstreetmap. Tuan, Y-F. 1977. Space and Place: The Perspective of Experience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. is now available everywhere your schedule takes you. Available one week prior to the print version Bonus: Expanded content Page for page replica of the print version Read content instantly— no downloading required. Hot links to advertisers websites Save a Tree—every page you read online is one that didn't go through the paper mill. Sign up at www.geoplace.com/subscribe Digital issue not for you? You can subscribe to either version, simply use the link below to claim your FREE 1-year subscription. Subscribe today to choose the version that fits your lifestyle iPad • Mobile • Print DECEMBER 2O11 / WWW . GEOPLA CE . C O M 13