Reflections on Forty Years of Geographical Information in Scotland: Standardisation, Integration and Representation

Abstract This paper examines some of the key events which have influenced the development of Geographical Information Systems in Scotland, together with the contribution which Scotland has made to the international scene. It reviews local developments and applications, the people who brought these about and links them to key technological milestones on the international stage. The paper also examines issues of contemporary concern, putting these in the context of the GI Strategy for Scotland published by the Scottish Government in 2005. The paper considers the importance of a definitive place-name gazetteer and the need for a place-name authority to create and maintain this as key to the promotion of textual geographical information. Also addressed is the loss of cartography as an academic discipline and increasingly as a profession, together with the tendency to create data silos, to which a solution is proposed.