Essay from the Cathlicgauze blog site that argues that the discipline of Geography is a core component of GIS and that curriculums that focus only on the technology of GIS are detrimental to the field.

• The Future for GIS

OneStreetMap was founded with the goal of creating and providing free geographic data to whoever wants it. With an army of 5,000 volunteers who hit the streets around the world with GPS units to capture street segments or who participate in applying attribute information to collected data, the project has growing geographic data in thirty-nine countries to date. The project, started by Steve Coast in 2004, grew out of his desire to create a local map of his own neighborhood. Unlike the United States which frees most federal data under that country’s Public Information Act, many countries do not freely offer data created through public funds back to the public. Read more

A network of scientists is poised to start the ambitious project of mapping the geology of the entire planet. Called the “OneGeology Project“, the team is made up of a consortium of international bodies, organizations and surveys from around the globe. Participants come from around the world with sciences from representatives from more that 55 countries involved. The project web site points to the UN General Assembly of 1997 (Agenda 21) as the motivating factor for this project. Read more