Geography is irrelevant!
Geography is irrelevant. In today’s interconnected, globalized economy and communications culture, geography no longer matters. Both ends of an internet connection may physically terminate at two computers thousands of kilometers apart, across oceans and continents, but there is no real difference in the location of those two points. They are essentially coincident, both in the abstract and in the real-time nature of connectivity. Geography is irrelevant in so many ways, due in part because of the technological advancements in communications, geospatial technology, consumer behavior and education, content and choice.
For many, geography has ceased to exist as a define subject in schools and universities around the world, save the dedicated Geography Departments of a small percentage of Universities. It is no longer even a subject worthy of it’s own course title. It has become subsumed in the realm of social sciences, always condescended to by the more defined sciences; biology, physics, math, chemistry, economics. Geography is so irrelevant that it does not even garner a seat at the executive table at any Fortune 500 company, nor is it granted Cabinet status for the President or even any State Executive Office.
With so many complex and pressing issues facing Government and business today, why is geography so irrelevant? The rate of change in our globalized world leaves no time for geographic comprehension and appreciation. Our own Kanesha Price recently conducted a small geographic literacy survey at a local college campus, and while they did score better than the national average, the questions were surficial and encyclopedic in nature. If Americans are near bottom in understanding even these “low hanging fruits” of geographic literacy, is it any wonder why policies and strategies lack any real application and appreciation for more meaningful geographic issues. The simplest conclusion must be that geography is no longer relevant.
Think more about it – GPS navigation devices lead us to and fro, there is no need to retain mental maps or think about location; we have countless media outlets telling us all we need to know, but it matters little where the who did what and when to whom. Celebrity anchors bedazzle viewers with mangled explanations of geospatial technology and shine a blazing spotlight on just how irrelevant geography appears to be to just about all but the ivory-tower big-brain academics. I am surprised the term “geography” still has a place in Webster’s, aren’t you?”
How do you participate in the local news?
Hopefully you’re not inadvertently the subject of any of the local news. But what if you were asked to participate in reporting it - would you do it? Would you trust your neighbors to do the same - would you even care if they did? What if you could visit a local news station’s website and see what real people in your community were talking about, on a map, with pictures of the event or accident, road conditions, tornado, hurricane, blizzard, or even click on a video that someone submitted of that really awesome touchdown at the Lakeland High School football game last Friday night? (Go Dreadnaughts!) If you could submit a quick picture of a gnarly accident on I-4, or something ominous at the Circle K, or even if a local restaurant served up something savory (or not so much!), so that other people in the area could check it out and see what you saw in near real time (maybe help them avoid something catastrophic, or gross)… would you do it?
Ruminations on the Geo-Semantic Web
Along with several other SNI-ites, I recently gave a presentation at the 2009 GITA Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference . Mine was entitled “The Geo-Semantic Web, Looking Beyond the Buzzwords”. A topic that has been on my mind for some months. I was rather hoping that I would be able to post a link to the recorded session video, however, they are not yet available, and apparently GITA is charging for them. Not quite sure how I feel about that, but perhaps that’s a topic for another time.
In any case, I thought I would finally take the time to summarize some of my thoughts and opinions on the matter, and why I think the notion of the semantic web, in general, is important, as well as what we might stand to gain by adding a little dash of geo into it.
Read past the jump for all the fun.
I’m going to try and stray away from delving too deeply into the technical mumbo-jumbo here and instead try and summarize some of the main points from my GITA presentation.
Firstly, it seems like we’re all constantly inundated with some fancy-schmancy new set of buzzwords or catch phrases that we’re supposed to be on the lookout for, since they will all apparently be the “next big thing.”
Web 3.0 anybody? Heck, I’m still reeling over all the hoopla surrounding Web 2.0! But, I think it’s important to take a bit of a step back here and look at what this Web 2.0 stuff really is (or was… should I be using the past tense already? I’ll leave that as an exercise to the reader).
You can read through that linked wikipedia article for what amounts to the official definition, I suppose, but here’s my take on it:
Technologically, not much changed or happened in the underlying web infrastructure.
Now, before I start a flame war there, yes, I know there were some changes, some things evolved and were made at least different, if not better, but when you look at the actual nuts and bolts of “The Web” it’s pretty much the same as it was during the glory days of Web 1.0 (before we even knew it had a version number, ah… ignorance was bliss, was it not?).
However, most of what really occurred was a fundamental shift in thinking. People and organizations started seeing the web more as an application platform, and not just a platform, but oftentimes a preferred platform. What that led to was the creation of actual web applications as opposed to web sites. Instead of just reading articles, searching for information, or browsing picture galleries, we’re actually using web applications to do, well, you know, real stuff.
This is not unlike all of the brouhaha surrounding Web 3.0 and the Semantic Web (which are often lumped together). The technology to do most of this “semantic stuff” already exists, and has for quite some time. RDF, which serves as an underlying structural framework for most things semantic, for example, was a W3C recommendation back in 1999. And, in fact, even though the more recent definitions (specifically wikipedia, which is, after all, pretty much the font of all human knowledge :) ) quips that the acronym RSS is:
” most commonly translated as “Really Simple Syndication” “
The original version of the specification published by Netscape way back in 1999 notes that the acronym stands for “RDF Site Summary.” So, I suppose if you want to get all technical about it (as I am wont to do, being some sort of über geek and all), if you were subscribing and/or publishing RSS feeds back in 1999, you were pretty much using the Semantic Web version 1.0, so give yourself a big pat on the back for being such a forward-thinking early adopter!
True, we are starting to see some of the technologies mature (triple stores for example), and see wider adoption, but the underlying ideas and frameworks have been around for quite some time.
What the semantic web will really involve, if it is to take off in a big way and become ubiquitous (as I am fairly convinced it will), it will be the result of a shift in thinking and perception more so than a rapid and radical evolutionary leap in technology. Granted, that leap is bound to occur coincident with all that semantic ubiquity (oooh… Semantic Ubiquity, band name?), but that shift in thinking is the important bit.
And what would that shift involve (in my opinion, at least)? Well, it’s really about starting to blur the lines between “data” (things lying around in relational databases, spreadsheets, XML documents, etc.) and “content.” After all, we’ve got quite a bit of both lying around in one form or another, but in a rather substantial preponderance of cases, one would find it difficult to use that data without first combining it with some form of “content,” or converting that content into some sort of normalized “data” that can be manipulated, queried, sorted, reported on, yada3.
What the whole semantic web movement is attempting to get at is to blur those lines and build those bridges, such that you can break out of the typical mold of seeing “data” in typical tabular format, and “content” as a big blob of words or numbers without any structure, and, most importantly, without any meaning (meaning to a computer, that is), such that they can be transparently intermingled and used together, ultimately making everyone’s lives easier (knock on wood), and, most importantly, reducing the amount of time and effort it takes to combine all of these disparate bits of content and data together in order to form actionable intelligence.
That being said, this is not an easy problem to solve, especially when we’re talking about the “plain” web, as opposed to the GeoWeb (yeah, that’s right, I made you read allll the way down here before I even started getting to the “geo” part!).
As I mentioned, I’m not going to delve into the technical nitty gritty of some of the current and/or proposed work being done on the “plain” web side in that respect (with one exception, DBPedia which I happen to think is pretty spiffy, given my obvious affection for all things semantic and wikipedia). However, getting back to the “geo” part, I think we may be a bit ahead of the game here.
The non-geo web is going to continue to evolve more and more towards a semantically enabled and linked infrastructure, but as those efforts march on, I think the geospatial crowd would be doing both themselves and the rest of our web family a service by beginning to think about our data (and content!) in terms of semantics.
Sound hard? Well, to be honest, yeah, there are challenges. However, think about it. Your average bits and pieces of geodata are already structured by their very nature. Whether that’s a shapefile, a KML file (with SchemaData of course!), GeoRSS, or anything else along those lines, a good bit of the work required to “semantify” the data is already there! The hardest part is starting to think about things not in terms of structured tables and databases, but as semantic graphs. Or, put more succinctly, think about embedding more meaning into your data. Beginning to think about things in this way is by far the biggest challenge I have had as I have been digging into, researching, and attempting to use and build things around semantic technologies, as I find myself so used to thinking about things in terms of tables and joins and rows and columns and so on and so forth. It has proven incredibly difficult to re-train my brain to think about what things mean and how to describe those relationships to a computer, even though one would think it might be the more natural way of doing it.
If we can get there, though, it opens up all kinds of doors for future applications, data interoperability, and analysis. Think about the sorts of things you might be able to do if, for example (disclaimer: I am notoriously terrible with coming up with relevant, let alone good examples on the spur of the moment) instead of having a big ol’ geodataset full of various bits and pieces of information on fire hydrants and their locations, you were also embedding or linking meaning, or had some already there, automagically imported from another source. Meaning such as what fire hydrants did, that their flow rates relate to water, which comes from municipal sources, which are also used to provide H2O to nearby houses, which affects the pressure in those locations…
These are the sorts of things we might be doing and attempting to figure out and analyze today, but it is still us, the humans, who have to ultimately use our noggins or other pieces of unwieldy or complex task-specific tools and software to derive, describe, and/or use that meaning in order to make decisions. If we can cut down that lead time even by a factor of 5-10%, wouldn’t that give us a lot more time to get into doing some really crazy, new, difficult, and interesting stuff?
Those are my $0.02 worth anyway, and, granted, I glossed over a LOT of stuff here and it still ended up being a short novel, but I’ll do my best to start elaborating on some more specific examples and topics here in the near future :)
I second that!
It was a pleasant surprise to read the title of previous post ("Renewed Excitement") and realize that it came from the erstwhile ‘fishbowl’ (home of our intrepid interns). Anyone in the office could have been newly re-energized of late. We have a lot of good things going on. Not the least of which is a commitment to solve real problems for real people. I can’t say that I’m opposed. It’s really hard, though… really hard. But ultimately, when customers are being served, it’s worth knowing what it feels like to have your brain replaced by italian ice. Everyone is someone’s customer - who feels that way about you? Are you being served?
Renewed Excitement
I just got a chance to look at TrekServ and I think it’s a great program. It looks very user friendly and like it will be used by a lot of people once it’s ready to hit the market.
After reading the last blog post I realized there are many different dialects of Mandarin which is the Chinese language, but they are all written the exact same way so adding it to Geodexy and TrekServ may not be such a hard task…
I’m also switching to straight green tea with no sugar instead of coffee. It works for me at home and I’m thinking it will keep me more energetic later in the day :P
"Green" enterprise management
I recently submitted an abstract about this topic to the Mobile Asia Congress. Yes, I know, I’m actually TRYING to ensnare myself in another inescapably horrifying round of public speaking - in Hong Kong!? I think my next move may be skydiving into shark-infested waters… Anyway, I officially acknowledge that I’m much better with the written word (toot), but I also know that "practice makes perfect" is a universally accepted theory. But this time, at least the concept is not foreign (nor polarizing -> BONUS!). It’s simply about reducing paper waste. (RIP, Woody!) That’s the simply "Green" part anyway. The "enterprise management" part is much more complex, and IMHO, exciting. Therein, we have escaped the paper trap of collecting, storing, and managing (as if) data - KNOWLEDGE!! - in a folder made of ‘manilla’, whatever that is. Folders made of informed, organized, accessible Database goodness - NOW we’re cookin’ with grease!
Working for Spatial Networks
Free soda, wide screen computers, the freedom to work on anything and yet having a direction to go is just…awesome. Spatial networks is a haven for people who love technology, creativity, and having fun! We look forward to to working with everyone here. Spatial Networks and Geodexy have much hidden potential yet to be realized by the world.
“My first day here has been better than everyday at my last three jobs.” - Shane
“Looking forward to the Nerf Gun fights!” - Mary
Geographic Literacy: The Case of St Petersburg College Clearwater Campus
National Case Study
In the Spring 2009 issue of ArcNews, Daniel C. Edelson (Vice President for Education, National Geographic Society) wrote a shocking yet inspiring article on geographic literacy in the United States+. It was featured in the inaugural column of the “Geo Learning” series. In this article, he stated that, “It’s no secret that Americans know next to nothing about geography.” I figured he was probably right, but how bad could it possibly be considering the diversity of this nation (I would like to note here that optimism can be a dangerous adversary if abused).
The latest National Geographic/Roper Poll (2006) conveys the incredible deficiency of 18-24-year-old Americans in the subject of geography. The survey found that half the participants could not locate New York on a map of the United States, and nearly 6 in 10 could not locate Ohio. One-third of the young adults in the survey gave the wrong answer when asked to name the continent where the Amazon rain forest is located. And, after being at war with Iraq for three years, 63 percent of young Americans could not identify Iraq on a map of the Middle East.”
Shocking as they are, these statistics are real and exemplify the severity of the situation at hand. National Geographic’s justifiable response to the survey prompted the implementation of the “Geographic Literacy in the U.S. by 2025” campaign as well as the “Geo Learning” column which urges GIS professionals to play an important role in the campaign in order to increase the rate of geographic literacy in the United States. Thusly, here I stand, PDA and GPS in hand, ready to be put to work.
Local Case Study
After ranting and raving throughout the office condemning the public school system, I decided that it would be healthier and more productive (not to mention quieter) to blog about the issue instead. I was beginning to write the manifesto to end all manifestos when I decided that I would do one better and conduct a survey of my own using local, young adults as my guinea pigs1. Ten questions were selected from the National Geographic/Roper Poll (2006), in hopes of saving time, and presented to young students at St. Petersburg College (SPC) Clearwater Campus. I was optimist (yet again) going into the project. I theorized that by surveying young adults seeking higher education, the results yielded would be higher overall, in comparison to those of the national survey were the level of education was not a qualifying factor.
Though I interrogated students during their finals week (as if they weren’t under enough pressure), the partakers gladly contributed to the cause and encouraged their friends and classmates to do the same. Though many of the test takers expressed concern due to the lack of geographic literacy in their mental arsenal, they (and I) had a great time. Generally, the individual results of the questionnaire led to discussions on political, physical, cultural, historical and world geography, proving the naturally intriguing and inclusive disposition framework of geography (if handled properly). All in all, the goals of the project were met. The summary revealed that the SPC students scored higher on the selected questions than the young adults that participated in the national survey in 2006. This may again be due to the fact that the SPC students are just that, students. Their inquisitive nature makes them more apt and likely to voluntarily initiate geographical thought than someone who may not have attended an institution of higher learning.
If the goals of the National Geographic campaign are met, this will no longer be the status quo. Giving every U.S. citizen to the opportunity to think analytically and individually, beyond the facts that are spoon fed to them by the media and other potentially bias sources of information. American adults must learn how to think for themselves and becoming geographically literate is one of the major first steps that must be taken. I hope that, like the participants at SPC, these findings (in both the national and local surveys) ignite a fire deep in your bowels that sparks you to learn as much as you can about the world around you. We only have one planet; we owe it to her to be as familiar with her as humanly achievable in order to be the best caregivers and stewards possible.
Kick-starting spatial methodology is simply a matter of will. Tip: next time you here a news report (e.g. H1-N1 influenza) instead of saying, “Hmmm that was interesting. Now I’m in the mood for some meat candy,” take it one step further and look up some of the places mentioned. Think about the relationships between those places and Mexico (i.e. the source). Whether those relationships are physical, economic, political or cultural, they are factors to be considered. Hypothesize about the occurrences of probable and confirmed cases of H1-N1 in an area. Why do some places seem to be more affected than others? Is climate a factor? Click on the link below to find out more ways to improve your geographic literacy.
The Quiz
How well would you do? (Find out by answering the following questions…Good luck!)
1. Which range has the correct population of the United States today? a. 10 million to 50 million b. 150 million to 350 million c. 500 million to 750 million d. 1 billion to 2 billion
2. In which of these countries is a majority of the population Muslim? a. Indonesia b. South Africa c. Armenia d. India
3. Which of the following was not a significant contributing factor in Hurricane Katrina’s impact on the city of New Orleans? a. Much of the city was located below sea level b. The Mississippi River was at record high flow levels c. Flood protection walls failed d. Protective coastal marshes had disappeared
4. If it is noon in New York, New York, what time is it in Los Angeles, California? a. 3 a.m. b. 9 a.m. c. 12 p.m. (Noon) d. 3 p.m.
5. Which language is spoken by the most people in the world as their primary language? a. Russian b. Mandarin Chinese c. English d. Arabic
6. Which city would be LEAST likely to be threatened by a tsunami? a. Honolulu, United States b. Manila, Philippines c. Tokyo, Japan d. Mexico City, Mexico
7. A person is able to wear lightweight clothing all year round. He probably lives near the… a. Arctic Circle b. British Isles c. South Pole d. Equator
8. On which continent is the Amazon rain forest? a. Africa b. Antarctica c. Asia d. Australia e. Europe f. North America g. South America
9. On which continent is Sudan located? a. Africa b. Antarctica c. Asia d. Australia e. Europe f. North America g. South America
10. On which continent are the Alps? a. Africa b. Antarctica c. Asia d. Australia e. Europe f. North America g. South America
Bonus Questions: 1: Locate Iraq
2: Locate New York:
3: Locate Ohio:
The National Results (percentage correct):
1: 31%, 2: 25%, 3: 33%, 4: 68%, 5: 18%, 6: 62%, 7: 83%, 8: 59%, 9: 46%, 10: 56%, B1: 37%, B2: 50%, B3: 40%
National Average: 46.77%
The Local Results (percentage correct):
1: 46%, 2: 9%, 3: 9%, 4: 55%, 5: 27%, 6: 64%, 7: 100%, 8: 91%, 9: 73%, 10: 46%, B1: 55%, B2: 27%, B3: 27%
Local Average: 48.38%
The Correct Answers: 1: b, 2: a, 3: b, 4: b, 5: b, 6: d, 7: d, 8: g, 9: a, 10: e
B1:
B2:
B3:
Video Highlights
1 Note: no animals were harmed in the production of this series
"Where Data Goes to Die"
A reseller of a competitor’s mobile data collection platform said this to me once about his own product. I appreciate his honesty, and at the same time it’s been haunting me for months. People are paid to go out and collect data, that is once and forever completely useless to anyone. (How’s that for serving up a heaping dose of morale?) [Incidentally, in a not-uncharacteristic stroll down Anthropomorphism Lane, I have this visual of a little tree - sometimes wearing a "College" t-shirt - being fed into the mill like so many turkeys at a Sarah Palin interview, and coming out on the other side as stuffing for some manilla folder in a storage shed, never to be looked at again… It’s sad, what the little tree’s life is reduced to, it makes me want to run into the parking lot and hug the ones that are carefully landscaped into the pavement jungle - but then I think how good they have it, with job security and all, and it’s not the same… More coffee, please.] Just think about decades worth of data about your business, critical assets, even human resources, just sitting in a box somewhere - impervious to pattern review, cost analysis, or any other useful bit of aggregation. If it makes you crazy, you are probably more sane than you realize!
The largest Kindle ever... DXXL
Just a little light reading this morning over coffee. I’m about to take this on the road for some ultra-mobile data collection - really looking forward to getting my fists on that QWERTY XL keyboard!
