Technical geography

 Technical geography is the branch of geography that involves using, studying, and creating tools to obtain, analyze, interpret, understand, and communicate spatial information.

The other branches of geography, most commonly limited to human geography and physical geography, can usually apply the concepts and techniques of technical geography. However, the methods and theory are distinct, and a technical geographer may be more concerned with the technological and theoretical concepts than the nature of the data. Further, a technical geographer may explore the relationship between the spatial technology and the end users to improve upon the technology and better understand the impact of the technology on human behavior. Thus, the spatial data types a technical geographer employs may vary widely, including human and physical geography topics, with the common thread being the techniques and philosophies employed. To accomplish this, technical geographers often create their own software or scripts, which can then be applied more broadly by others. They may also explore applying techniques developed for one application to another unrelated topic, such as applying Kriging, originally developed for mining, to disciplines as diverse as real-estate prices.

In teaching technical geography, instructors often need to fall back on examples from human and physical geography to explain the theoretical concepts. While technical geography mostly works with quantitative data, the techniques and technology can be applied to qualitative geography, differentiating it from quantitative geography. Within the branch of technical geography are the major and overlapping subbranches of geographic information science, geomatics, and geoinformatics.

Fundamentals
Technical geography is highly theoretical and focuses on developing and testing methods and technologies for handling spatial-temporal data. These technologies are then applied to datasets and problems within the branches of human and/or physical geography. Historically, technical geography was focused on cartography and globe-making. Today, while technical geographers still develop and make maps, the Information Age has pushed the development of information management techniques to handle spatial data and support decision-makers. To this end, technical geographers often adapt technology and techniques from other disciplines to spatial problems rather than create original innovations, such as using computers to aid in cartography. They also explore adapting techniques developed for one area of geography to another, such as kriging, originally created for estimating gold ore distributions but now applied to topics such as real estate appraisal. Technical geography today is theoretically grounded in information theory, or the study of mathematical laws that govern information systems.

Autocorrelation


Autocorrelation is a statistical measure used to assess the degree to which a given data set is correlated with itself over different time intervals or spatial distances. In essence, it quantifies the similarity between observations as a function of the time lag or spatial distance between them. Autocorrelation can be positive (indicating that similar values cluster together) or negative (indicating that dissimilar values are near each other). Spatial Autocorrelation involves the correlation of a variable with itself across different spatial locations. Temporal Autocorrelation involves the correlation of a signal with a delayed copy of itself over successive time intervals. Autocorrelation is the foundation of Tobler's first law of geography. Spatial autocorrelation is measured with tools such as Moran's I or Getis–Ord statistics.

Autocorrelation is fundamental to technical geography because it provides critical insights into the spatial and temporal structure of geographical data. It enhances the ability to model, analyze, and interpret spatial patterns and relationships, supporting various applications from environmental monitoring and urban planning to resource management and public health. By understanding and leveraging autocorrelation, geographers can make more informed decisions, improve the accuracy of their analyses, and contribute to solving real-world geographical problems.

Frequency
In statistics, frequency refers to the number of occurrences of a particular event or value within a dataset. When dealing with spatial and temporal datasets, the concept of frequency can be applied to understand how often certain events or values occur across different locations (spatial) or over time (temporal). Spatial datasets contain data points that are associated with specific geographic locations, and frequency in spatial datasets can be used to analyze patterns and distributions across different areas. Temporal datasets involve data points that are associated with specific time points, and frequency in temporal datasets helps analyze trends and patterns over time. Analyzing how the frequency of events changes across both space and time can reveal dynamic patterns. Spatial and temporal frequency are core concepts in technical geography because they are fundamental to understanding and analyzing geographic phenomena. Geography is inherently concerned with the distribution and dynamics of features across space and over time.

Cartographic generalization
Cartographic generalization is the process of simplifying the representation of geographical information on maps, making complex data more understandable and useful for specific purposes or scales. This process involves selectively reducing the detail of features to prevent clutter and ensure that the map communicates the intended information effectively. The need for generalization arises because maps often depict large areas and scales, where including every detail is impractical and can overwhelm the map reader. The primary goal of cartographic generalization is to balance detail with readability, ensuring that the map serves its intended purpose without sacrificing essential information. By placing data in a spatial context, even though it is generalized, cartographic generalization creates additional information by revealing patterns and trends in the data.

Effective generalization requires a deep understanding of the map's use case, the audience's needs, and the geographical context. Technological advancements, such as the World Wide Web (WWW), Geographic information systems (GIS), and information theory have greatly aided cartographers in generalizing maps more efficiently and consistently. These tools can apply generalization rules systematically, ensuring high-quality outputs even as data volume increases. Cartographic generalization is foundational in technical geography because it ensures that maps are functional, readable, and tailored to their intended use. It balances the need for detail with the practical limitations of scale and medium, enhancing the effectiveness of maps as tools for communication, analysis, and decision-making.

Early history and etymology


The term "technical geography" is a combination of the words "technical", from the Greek τεχνικός (tekhnikós, translated as artistic, skillful, workmanlike), meaning relating to a particular subject or activity and involving practical skills, and "geography", from the Greek γεωγραφία (geographia, a combination of Greek words ‘Geo,’ The Earth, and ‘Graphien,’ to describe. Literally "earth description"), a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Technical geography as a distinct term in the English language within the discipline of geography dates back at least as far as 1749 to a book published by English printer Edward Cave at St John's Gate, Clerkenwell. This 1749 book was divided into four parts, one of which was named "containing technical geography", which focused on both globes and maps, including concepts of cartographic design, and projection. In this book, they chose to use the term "technical geography" rather than "practical geography" to clarify that the branch is distinct in theory and methods. This publication defines technical geography with the following:

While when the term technical geography first entered the English lexicon may be difficult to ascertain, technical geography as a concept crosses cultures, and techniques date back to the origins of cartography, surveying, and remote sensing. Eratosthenes has been called the "founder of mathematical geography," and his activities are described as "little different from what we expect of a technical geographer." Within the "Ptolemaic tradition" of geography started by Ptolemy, scholars have identified distinct "technical elements" in "Ptolemaic cartographic theory" such as map projection, lines of latitude and longitude, coordinates, grids, scales, and the theory of astronomically defined climates. Islamic geographers later adopted these technical elements when Ptolmey's book, Geographia, was translated into Arabic in the ninth century, often mixing them with elements of traditional Islamic cartography. For example, the Kitab al-Buldan, written by Ibn al-Faqih between 902–903 C.E., was described by Henri Massé as "technical geography [including] themes of adab." Technical geography as a term is more than place name recollection and toponymy; it involves spatial relationships between points and theory. A publication in 1889 defined the term "technical" as "especially appropriate to any art or science", and stated that "we never hear teachers questioning whether technical geography shall be taught in the schools." An 1890 publication advertised that the 1891 International Geographical Congress at Berne would have five divisions in it program, with the first being technical geography listing topics like mathematical geography, geodesy, and cartography as examples of content within this division These publications demonstrates that the concept and term "technical geography" was in use in the United States to some capacity by the late 1800s.

Early 20th century


In 1902, geodesy was suggested as a discipline supporting technical geography. In 1908, geography professor George D. Hubbard included technical geography alongside regional geography, physical geography, and general research as courses that should be taught at in U.S. university geography departments. Hubbard specifies that technical geography refers to topics such as "mathematical or astronomical geography," as well as cartography. A 1910 publication in the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society (now the Geographical Review) introduced the concept of "scientific geography" and discussed employing the scientific method to geographic concepts. This publication proposed how a field of scientific geography could be organized, and specified that "Phytogeography," "Zoogeography," and "Anthropogeography" could be areas where scientific principles could be applied. While this publication did not use the term technical geography in its description, several later publications explicitly link scientific and technical geography. By 1917, technical geography was included among courses taught at some British schools, alongside mathematics, chemistry, and other natural sciences. As techniques and concepts in technical geography advanced, geographers began to lament the lack of understanding and use of more advanced geographic concepts in society and law. Specifically, this became an issue during the 1930s Michigan-Wisconsin Boundary Case in the Supreme Court of the United States, where the border was not defined with specific technical geographic concepts. During the 1940s, Oregon State University began focusing on technical geography as part of an applied geography program.

Quantitative revolution
Technical geography differentiated more clearly during the quantitative revolution in the 1950s and 1960s. Before this, the techniques and methods of handling spatial information were primarily focused on supporting human or physical geography, rather than a subject of study itself. World War II, which saw the extensive use of cartography and air photos, revolutionized these techniques and brought a new focus on the benefits they offered. In the years before the quantitative revolution, geography was generally fragmented and focused on descriptive approaches, and many United States universities were eliminating geography departments around the country. To address this, geographers began to debate the merits of more scientific and methods-based approaches to the discipline and advocate for the benefits these methods had to other technical courses. Some, such as the preeminent cartographer George Jenks went as far as to suggest that cartography should be a separate academic discipline from geography entirely, even if only at a few academic institutions. This approach was shunned by more traditional geographers, who viewed it as a deviation from how geographers had always viewed and interacted with maps. While the best approach to the technical aspect of geography was heavily debated among geographers, geography departments at universities across the United States began to teach a more scientific approach to geography.

Laws of geography


The main claim for the quantitative revolution is that it led to a shift from a descriptive (idiographic) geography to an empirical law-making (nomothetic) geography. The first of these laws was proposed by Waldo Tobler in a 1970 paper, and more have been proposed since. Some geographers argue against the idea that laws in geography are necessary or even valid. These criticisms have been addressed by Tobler and others. Examples of these laws include Tobler's first law of geography, Tobler's second law of geography, and Arbia's law of geography. French geographer Ionel Haidu noted Tobler's first law of geography, and the associated concept of spatial autocorrelation, as central concepts to technical geography.

20th century technologies
The 20th century saw the rapid emergence of technologies such as computers, satellites, and the corresponding software to operate them. These technologies rapidly changed how geographers operated, and significant effort went into considering how best to incorporate them into the discipline. With these technologies came new disciplines and terms like analytical cartography, which focus on mathematical modeling and theoretical implications of cartography. These terms often compete and overlap with each other and often originate in separate countries, such as geographic information science in the United States, geomatics in France, and geoinformatics in Sweden. Three major technologies, remote sensing (RS), Geographic information systems (GIS), and the global positioning system (GPS) are highlighted as examples of technologies characterizing technical geography.

Remote sensing


Along with computers and GIS, new spatial data sources emerged during the quantitative revolution. Air photo technology was widely used in World War I and, in subsequent years, was applied to civilian endeavors. A 1941 textbook titled "Aerophotography and Aerosurverying" stated the following in the first line of its preference:

Remote sensing technology again advanced rapidly during World War II, and the techniques employed were rapidly assimilated as aids in geographical studies. During the Cold War, advancements in photography, aircraft, and rockets only increased the effectiveness of remote sensing techniques. As the technology became available to the general public, geographers were soon overwhelmed with large volumes of satellite and aerial images. New techniques were required to store, process, analyze, and use this new data source, birthing remote sensing scientists.

Computer cartography and GIS


Coinciding with the quantitative revolution was the emergence of early computers. The interdisciplinary nature of geography forces geographers to look at developments in other fields, and geographers tend to observe and adapt technological innovations from other disciplines rather than developing unique technologies to conduct geographic studies. More than a decade after the first computers were developed, Waldo Tobler published the first paper detailing the use of computers in the map-making process titled "Automation and Cartography" in 1959. While novel in terms of application, the process detailed by Tobler did not allow for storing or analyzing of geographic data. As computer technology progressed and better hardware became available, geographers rapidly adopted the technology to create maps. In 1960, Roger Tomlinson created the first geographic information system, which allowed for storing and analysis of spatial data within a computer. These tools revolutionized the discipline of geography by contributing to the positivist scientific approaches to the discipline during the quantitative revolution. In 1985, Mark Monmonier speculated that computer cartography facilitated by GIS would largely replace traditional pen and paper cartography. Geographers began to heavily debate the place of GIS in geography, with some rejecting its methods and others heavily advocating for it. In response to critics, British geographer Stan Openshaw stated:

With the emergence of GIS, researchers rapidly began to explore methods to use the technology for various geographic problems. This led some geographers to declare the study of the computer-based methods their own science within geography. GIS serves as the primary technology driving the field of geodesign by enabling real-time feedback in considering geography and landscape with community planning.

Global Positioning System


In 1978, the United States military launched the first satellites to enable the modern Global Positioning System (GPS), and the system's full capability was made available to the general public in 2000. This facilitated a level of rapid acquisition of spatial coordinates that previously would have been expensive. Geographers began studying methods and applications for this data. In subsequent years, other countries have launched satellite constellations enabling Satellite navigation, including Russia's GLONASS, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, and the European Union's Galileo navigation satellite system.

New Subdisciplines
During the quantitative revolution, several terms originated from the concept that the technologies developed during this period are a focus of independent study, including quantitative geography, geomatics, geoinformatics, and geographic information science. These terms all overlap to some degree, but at least one study indicates they differ substantially enough to continue using. The proliferation of these new terms may have been detrimental to their popularity, and it has been suggested that they were possibly created carelessly or hastily. This has led to some confusion, and properly defining the areas covered by each term is an active field of research. One paper on the topic stated the following:

Quantitative geography
During the early days of the quantitative revolution, the term quantitative geography emerged as a subdiscipline within technical geography, focusing exclusively on new quantitative methods, such as spatial statistics, time geography (including visualizations such as the space-time prism and continuous transportation modeling approach), and GIS, for handling spatial-temporal data generated by novel technology like GPS and remote sensing. This part of technical geography focuses on spatial statistics and visualizing spatial information, emphasizing quantitative data and the scientific method.

Geomatics
In 1960, Bernard Dubuisson coined the term "géomatique" in French. English-speaking Canadians Pierre Gagnon and David Coleman translated the term as "geomatics", which was popularized in Canada through the 1980s and early 1990s. Today, it is defined by the ISO/TC 211, an International Organization for Standardization committee focused on geographic information, as the discipline concerned with handling geographic data or geographic information." In Canada, an effort was made to replace and absorb the term geodesy with geomatics; however, this was not successful, and globally, geodesy is generally considered "immutable" as a term. Geomatics was included in the UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems under technical geography.

Geoinformatics
In the late 1980s, the term geoinformatics was coined by Swedish scientist Kjell Samuelson and later defined in the 1990s as the science of integrating spatial data derived from various technologies, such as remote sensing, GPS, and GIS. It was later defined by geographer Michael DeMers to include processing of spatial data through the use of computers. This term has been described as being outside the branch of geography entirely and instead placed fully under the discipline of computer science, while other sources place it under the branch of technical geography. Sources have noted that there is no universally accepted definition of geoinformatics.

Geographic Information Science
In the 1990s, the term Geographic Information Science (GIScience) was coined and popularized in the United States by geographer Michael Frank Goodchild to describe "the subset of information science that is about geographic information." GIScience is mentioned explicitly as being separate from quantitative geography, but under the branch of technical geography. In 1995, the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) was established in the United States to support the field of GIScience, such as the creation of a "model curricula" by geographer Duane Marble to help educators teach GIScience. There has been significant debate around the term GIScience, including questioning if it can be considered a science. Many geographers, including Michael Goodchild, continue to advance the use of the term today.

Emergence of critical geography
In the same 1749 publication in which Cave discussed technical geography (Geography reformed: a new system of general geography, according to an accurate analysis of the science in four parts. The whole illustrated with notes) critical geography was considered an important part of the process within geography to correct errors on maps and other products to improve models of the world. In the 1970s, critical geography took on the framework of critical theory and Marxist philosophy, and became an umbrella uniting various theoretical frameworks in geography, including Marxist geography, feminist geography, and radical geography (a branch of geography that advocates that geographic research should focus on social issues transforming society). These frameworks were mostly advanced mostly by human geographers, leading to an observed gap between human and physical geographers. In response to the ideas and philosophies advanced during the quantitative revolution, particularly positivism and the emphasis on quantitative methods, the term critical geography was applied to ideological and theoretical criticisms of the methods and ideas of technical geographers. Other geographers, such as Yi-Fu Tuan, have criticized that geography has moved away from the abstract, unquantifiable aspects of place that are essential to the understanding of geography.

In the history of geography since the quantitative revolution, theorists from critical geography are often viewed as in direct confrontation with those of technical and quantitative geography. Some, such as Peter Gould, argued that these criticisms were largely due to the difficulty in learning the emerging novel technologies. Some geographers, including Stewart Fotheringham, argue that many of the early criticisms of quantitative methods have been addressed with advances in technology, and persist due to ignorance of quantitative geography. Geographer William Graf noted that some physical geographers suspect several of the philosophies underlying critical geography are "fundamentally anti-scientific."

21st century
As new technologies and methods applied by geographers, such as spatial analysis, cartography/GIS, remote sensing, and GPS, are widely applicable to various disciplines, concern grew among geographers that these other non-geographers in other disciplines might become better at using them than geographers. In response to this, in 2006, the peer-reviewed journal Geographia Technica was established to serve as an outlet for research employing quantitative, technical, and scientific methods within geography.

In a 2016 paper within this journal, Ionel Haidu stated:

Technical geography as a concept re-emerges to correct the historical trend in geography of adapting rather than developing new methods, technologies, and techniques for conducting geographic research by encouraging trained geographers to pursue this line of inquiry. While the use of the term "technical geography" itself has been debated since at least the 1700s, concepts within technical geography are often separated from the rest of geography when organizing and categorizing subfields in the discipline. Terms such as "techniques of geographic analysis", "geographic information technology", are used synonymously with the term within textbooks.

Geographic information science and technology body of knowledge
As technology such as GIS began to dominate geography departments, the need to develop new curriculum to teach the fundamental concepts became apparent. In response to this in 2006 the UCGIS published Geographic Information Science and Technology Body of Knowledge (GISTBoK), building on the "Model curricula" of the mid 90s. The GISTBoK is designed to inform curriculum teaching GIS and other geospatial technologies. This book is noted as having expanded the term "GIScience" to "GIScience and technology" (GIS&T).

UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems
In 2009, UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS) employed the term technical geography to organize their literature related to geography, establishing a three-branch model of technical, human, and physical geography, referring to human and physical as the primary two. The benefit of this wording is that it is consistent with the other two branches and clearly places the discipline within geography. The categorization of technical geography in the EOLSS as a branch is expanded upon by Ionel Haidu in his 2016 paper What is technical geography as being a consequence of cartography shifting from simply producing maps to producing spatial information, influenced by a culmination of information theory and technology like the World Wide Web.

Ontological
Attempts at subdividing geography have often been met with criticism. Geography has a history spanning cultures and thousands of years and is described as a "mother science" from which more specialized disciplines emerge, resulting in a fragmented discipline. Other existing models to subdivide the discipline of geography into categories and focuses, including William Pattison's four traditions of geography, vary dramatically between publications and cultures. While the term has been put forward as a distinct branch and umbrella for these wider concepts, the terms used to describe the study of spatial information as a distinct category vary. When subdividing the discipline within the literature, similar categories—such as "the Spatial Tradition", "techniques of geographic analysis", "geographic information and analysis", "geographic information technology", "geography methods and techniques", "geographic information technology", "scientific geography," and "quantitative geography" —are used to describe the same, or similar, concepts as technical geography. Some of the discrepancy in terminology is due to different cultures and languages having their own method of organization; for example, the term "information geography" is popular in research from China to describe similar concepts. It is closely associated with and sometimes used interchangeably with, the subfields of geographic information science and geoinformatics. Each term has slightly differing definitions and scopes, and the best word choice has been debated in the literature since at least the 1700s when Cave defended the use of technical geography over practical geography. However, many of these alternative terms or phrases are "grammatically awkward" and do not link the discipline explicitly as a branch of geography in the same way as technical geography. This is an area of active scholarly debate, and any word choice will be inevitably met with criticism by others using a different model.

More controversially, others deny the idea that the thought and techniques of geography constitute a new branch. This argument asserts that geography must be applied and, therefore, must focus on some subset of human or physical geography. They also argue that there is not enough well-established peer-reviewed literature to back the term as a new branch.

Gender bias
Some have brought allegations that the culture in technical geography has introduced gender bias into geography departments as the discipline is disproportionately practiced by men and seen by some as more masculine. Nadine Schuurman states that while there is not one reason for this discrepancy, but may be related to the broader perception of science as a "masculine domain," and the perception that tools, like GIS, employed by technical geographers are part of the military-industrial complex.

Academic programs
Many academic institutions use, or have historically used, the term "technical geography" to either sub-divide their department or describe courses and content offered within their department. These include, but are not limited to:


 * Babeș-Bolyai University
 * California State University, Long Beach
 * Century College
 * College of DuPage
 * Everett Community College
 * Grossmont College
 * Jacksonville University
 * Muhammadiyah University of Surakarta
 * Northwest Missouri State University
 * Oregon State University
 * South Dakota State University
 * Southern Utah University
 * Tennessee State University
 * University of Mary Washington
 * University of Maryland
 * University of Peshawar
 * University of Saskatchewan
 * University of South Alabama
 * Portland Community College
 * Weber State University

Influential geographers

 * Anne Kelly Knowles – influential in the use of GIS and geographic methods in History.
 * Arthur Getis – influential in spatial statistics
 * Cynthia Brewer – cartographic theorist that created the web application ColorBrewer
 * Ferjan Ormeling Jr. – Dutch cartographer who wrote the UNESCO Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems chapter on Technical Geography.
 * George F. Jenks – influential in computer cartography and thematic mapping
 * Ibn al-Faqih – Wrote Kitab al-Buldan (Ya'qubi book).
 * Mark Monmonier – cartographic theorist that wrote numerous books contributing to geographic information systems.
 * Mei-Po Kwan – geographer that coined the Uncertain geographic context problem and the Neighborhood effect averaging problem.
 * Michael DeMers – geographer that wrote numerous books contributing to geographic information systems
 * Michael Frank Goodchild – GIS scholar and winner of the RGS founder's medal in 2003.
 * Roger Tomlinson – the primary originator of modern geographic information systems.
 * Waldo Tobler – coined the first and second law of geography