Geographic Information Science and Society

Whereas as recently as the 1990s maps could be considered to be ubiquitous, by the end of fi rst decade of the twenty-fi rst century, geographic information instead has become ubiquitous, accessible to a large part of our society. This is true at least in many parts of the world-with other parts just a few years behind and in some cases even leapfrogging ahead. Society, institutions, and people are involved and affected in myriad ways-infl uences, impacts, and institutions are all issues. Geographic information system (GIS) and society research has both examined these developments and played a role in helping to conceive geographic information technologies.