The explosive growth in geographical information systems (GIS) in the last decade has resulted in considerable debate about which particular definition most accurately describes the activities of GIS research, and whether these diverse activities constitute a science of geographic information (Rhind et al., 1991). There is now widespread acceptance in the research community that the strengths of GIS lie in its diversity and the research area has correspondingly evolved to encompass an increasing range of geographical and spatially oriented analytical and modelling processes. This expansion of the boundaries of GIS is reflected in the fact that we frequently come across phrases such as ‘GIS are maturing’.
