PROGRESS IN BUILDING LINKAGES BETWEEN GIS AND METHODS AND TECHNIQUES OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

This paper explores selected connections between the concepts and capa bilities that define GIS and the methods and techniques that define sc ientific inquiry. Our focus in the latter respect is on quantitative p rocedures (mathematical, statistical, logical-simulation) that underli e the scientific method And, our GIS focus is on GIS features that ela borate and enable the following transformations: from reality --> data ; from data --> information; from information --> knowledge. The conte nt of the paper is primarily derived from a review of pertinent litera ture including conference proceedings (GIS/LIS), learned journals (CEU S, IJGIS), and indexed abstracts contained in selected electronic data bases on CD-ROM (Bio-Abstracts, Compendex Plus, Francis).