Exploring the Geographic Information Universe: The Role of Search Technologies

The convergence of Earth-observing media, web technologies, and cheap, portable devices has resulted in an explosion of geographic information. Although powerful, the “geographic information universe” metaphor obfuscates the deeply social and political nature of the socio-technical systems in which the flood of geographic information is produced and consumed. Unlike the physical universe that exists beyond human purposes, the geographic information universe has identifiable access points that define its boundaries and shape its inner structure: search technologies provide the main interface between data flows and users, enabling them to rapidly extract useful fragments of information. This article argues for an inter-disciplinary effort to understand search technologies and their implications for the geographic information universe, both for its inhabitants and its observers.