Geography

Merriam Webster defines geography as: “a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface.” From that definition you can tell that it is about more than just learning the names of capitols and rivers, but still that definition is broad and vague. I think it is sometimes hard for geography to be taken serious as a science. People look at physics and chemistry and geology, and they can see the science inherent in them. They are about measuring and quantifying. Not too many science fiction stories get written about geographers.

And yet, there are some cutting edge things that have been happening in geography. GIS stands for Geographic Information System. In simplest terms a GIS is just maps linked with databases. You have all used a GIS whether you know it or not. Anytime you have used an app like Google Maps or Bing and you ask it where the nearest McDonald’s is, you have used a simplified GIS. The McDonald’s locations (along with anything else the general public might ask for) are stored in the database part of the GIS. It might even tell you if the store is currently open. This is a handy thing which many of us use. But it is just the lowest bar for GIS. Once you have maps in a digital format, and can link the right kind of data to it, you have a powerful tool.

[Not to get too bogged down in terminology here, but GIS is sometimes confused with GPS. GPS is the Global Positioning System. GPS (or GNSS) is a network of satellites that can give you your exact location on the face of the Earth. GPS is very important to the development of GIS because you have to know the exact location of things before you can relate all the maps and together in one system.]

Utilities use GIS to map out their infrastructure. If there is a problem, like if a powerline goes down, they can instantly know what kind of line it was, who and how many are affected, what are the closest resources available to deploy to fix it. The Forest Service has a GIS that maps out the ages of stands of trees and what type of trees or other vegetation is there. This is important for planning out the long term harvesting strategies. It is also vitally important when there is a forest fire, so the command center can know what types of fuels are in the path of the fire and what the terrain is like. Health agencies can map outbreaks of a particular illness and look for patterns that might point to what the source is (like a contaminated water pipe). Disaster planners can run ‘what if’ scenarios to better prepare for emergencies.

In my own state of Oregon, scientists tell us that a major earthquake happens off the coast about every 300 years. This earthquake inevitably leads to a tsunami. Oh, and incidentally, it has been a little over 300 years since the last one. Planners have mapped out the likely inundation zone for a coastal tsunami. Planners can not only show what areas will be under water, but map out the fastest walking routes to safe areas. They can also tell which ground is more likely to liquefy during the quake. All this helps planners decide what kind of building should be allowable and where they can be built. Maybe you don’t want to have your hospital in the tsunami zone. None of this would be possible without the ability to model data from different sources and throw them together like a GIS does.

I should point out that a GIS can be misused too. You don’t usually know what the accuracy of the data in a GIS is, so it is intended for use at the macroscopic level. If you zoom in and see that your neighbor’s house is over your property line, don’t start calling the lawyers. The lines may be off, the photo may be off, or both. Surveyors have their own half-joking acronym for GIS: Get It Surveyed.

Earlier I said that not many science fiction stories get written about geographers, but if you watch science fictions shows that are set in the present or future, you will often see a GIS of one sort or another being used by the good guys (or the bad guys). So geographers may not always get the respect that other disciplines get but they have cool toys that have become almost indispensable.

(My novel Star Liner, is now available as an e-book through Amazon, or the other usual online sources. For those who like to turn physical pages, the paperback will be out soon).

Star Liner