Configuring the User: social divisions of labor in GIS

Research on "Society and GIS" has fallen into a trap to the extent that it separates these two realms. As an antidote to rampant technological determinism, this paper demonstrates how the highly technical decisions inside GIS software have a distinctly social flavor, in particular they specify a division of labor (and thus of knowledge). In the case of map registration, the software adopts an optimal leastsquares model that requires protection from "blunders", while a more robust technique would shift the division of labor. In the case of coordinate geometry, the software has been structured around the two-dimensional planar coordinates of traditional maps. While this is certainly easier on the programmer, it delays the introduction of global three-dimensional geometry. Overall, these examples demonstrate the aphorism of Woolgar: configuring the user. The practice of GIS is social to its very core.