Introduction: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences in the Next Decade

Abstract

Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences, produced by the U.S. National Research Council's (NRC) ad hoc Committee on Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences in the Next Decade, is an agenda-setting document that speaks to a transdisciplinary geographical science but nonetheless challenges geographers to think about how the discipline of geography can contribute to a better understanding of our rapidly changing planet. In this Focus Section, five geographers are invited to evaluate the NRC report, followed by a response from Alexander Murphy on behalf of the NRC Committee. We hope this Focus Section initiates a new conversation among geographers about the future of geography.

El informe Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences, producido por el Comité ad hoc sobre Orientaciones Estratégicas para las Ciencias Geográficas en la Próxima Década, del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones de los EE.UU. (NRC, sigla en inglés), es un documento definidor de agenda supuestamente dirigido a una ciencia geográfica de naturaleza transdisciplinaria, pero que, sin embargo, reta a los geógrafos a pensar sobre cómo puede contribuir la disciplina de la geografía a un mejor entendimiento de un planeta tan rápidamente cambiante como el nuestro. En la Sección Focus se ha invitado a cinco geógrafos para que evalúen el informe del NRC, con la subsiguiente respuesta de Alexander Murphy a nombre del Comité del NRC. Esperamos iniciar con esta Sección Focus una nueva conversación sobre el futuro de la geografía entre los geógrafos.

Key Words:

• geographic research
• geographical science
• spatial turn
• volunteered geographic information (VGI)

关键词:

• 地理研究
• 地理科学
• 空间转向
• 自愿的地理信息（

Palabras clave:

• investigación geográfica
• ciencia geográfica
• el giro espacial
• información geográfica voluntaria (VGI)

Acknowledgments

DANIEL Z. SUI is Professor of Geography and Distinguished Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Director for Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA) at The Ohio State University, 1036 Derby Hall, 154 N. Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include GIScience, urban geography, and history of geographic thoughts.

Notes

*Contributors of this Focus Section would like to thank Sharmistha Bagchi-Sen, Barney Warf, and Robin Maier for their support and guidance for this Focus Section. Daniel Sui would like to thank Alexander Murphy, Michael Goodchild, Larry Brown, Carol Harden, Dydia DyLyser, Keith Clarke, Paul Robbins, Trevor Barnes, and three anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version of this introduction. Research assistance by Jay Knox and Majid Dadgar is also acknowledged.