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| Name |
Goodchild, Michael F. |
| Location
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University of California, Santa Barbara |
| Primary Field
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Human Environmental Sciences |
| Secondary Field
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Computer and Information Sciences |
 Election Citation
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Goodchild is a geographer whose distinguished research achievements center on the measurement, description, and analysis of phenomena on the surface of the Earth. He has explored using digital information gathered by remote sensing satellites to create spatial and environmental models of the planet, make maps, and create digital libraries of geographic information that can be widely accessed electronically. He has also developed mathematical models to help quantify the difference between these geographic measurements and the reality of the world outside, so that geographic information can be accurately used. |
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Research Interests
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As a geographer my research focuses on the nature of geographic information and fundamental problems of measurement, description, and analysis of phenomena on the surface of Earth. Geography is an ancient discipline, but the study of geographic information has been reinvigorated by the advent of remote-sensing satellites, geographic information systems, and the ability to measure location directly through the Global Positioning System. Much of my recent research has been on the problem of uncertainty in geographic information: its measurement, modeling, and visualization. The problem of uncertainty has emerged as a major issue because it is impossible to capture the full complexity of Earth's surface in a digital representation and impossible to measure location perfectly. I use spatial statistical models to understand the impacts of uncertainty on the widespread applications of geographic information. My research also includes digital libraries and problems associated with search, retrieval, and use of geographic information over the Internet; the potential for novel kinds of fieldwork enabled by fully mobile, wirelessly connected, and even wearable information technology; and the role of geographic information technologies in science and policy making. |
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