Work

Why geographic data science is not a science

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: "Data Science" has taken many disciplines by storm. And for a good reason: New forms and unseen quantities of data enter nearly every scientific field, substantially changing the ways how scientists do science, and potentially allowing them to answer old questions or to pose them in novel ways. The recent success of Data Science is also reflected in corresponding study programs and curricula and the emergence of specialized branches, such as Geographic Data Science (GDS). Some researchers, therefore, claim that Data Science and GDS should be treated as autonomous scientific disciplines, while others fear that it sells nothing but old wine in new bottles. In an attempt to sober the discussion, we investigate GDS and Data Science from the perspective of meta-science. We provide arguments why today's GDS and Data Science should be seen as an interdisciplinary community of practice of data-driven scientists, rather than a scientific discipline. We also discuss what is missing for GDS and Data Science to become genuine scientific disciplines.

Source: Geography Compass

DOI: 10.1111/gec3.12537

Authors: Simon Scheider, Enkhbold Nyamsuren, Han Kruiger, Haiqi Xu

Institution: Utrecht University

Language: English

Topic: Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration

Subfield: Information Systems and Management

Field: Decision Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,000

Funders: European Commission, Universiteit Utrecht, European Research Council, H2020 European Research Council