Federal Funding, Geographic Research, and Geographic Technologies: 1904–2004

The history of geographical research in the U.S. has been closely intertwined with the federal government throughout the past hundred years. Since World War II, the federal government has provided substantial support for geographic research. Programs such as the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation have provided major investment into geographers’ research activities. In this paper, we trace the history of relationships between the federal government and academic geography over the past century, and we analyze patterns of federal support for research papers published in the Annals, The Professional Geographer, and Geographical Review.