A final thought for this year on the language of geography. I was amazed that my previous blog on this subject was picked up by a number of other bloggers and also led to some articles in ´GIS Professional´ magazine. I obviously struck some sort of chord.
So I guess my hopes are that in 2009, those who are putting forward ideas in GIS either in print or as a presentation, take some care of the language they use so that it makes their topic accessible to all. Spread the word by all means, but make those words understandable.
I am once again on the Action Working Group tasked with organising the AGI 2009 conference. When the papers are submitted, I shall be looking at the language used as well as at the concepts or case studies being highlighted. Misunderstandings which arose occasionally from this years conference were partly due to the fact that the language used by one person was interpreted incorrectly by another person.
´Clarity of ideas´ is perhaps my hope for next year.
About Me
- Alan
- New Barnet, Herts, United Kingdom
- I am the Chief Operating Officer and also the Head of Finance at the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) in London. I know about Finance. I don't know so much about Geography - I came here from the world of the Arts. But I think it is important that the finance guy in any organisation knows a bit about what that organisation does, and why. I have had no formal education in the world of geography but am developing an interest in the issues facing geographers and the benefits which geography can bring in so many walks of life. I need to learn more about geography and the current issues in GI. This blog will follow my process of education and record my reactions to a wide range of events all relating to geography in its widest sense. I hope visitors will find the blog to be of interest. Be prepared to follow me through my learning curve. It may be a bumpy ride!