A new geographical language : A perspective of GIS
Conceptual model ; Epistemology ; Geographical information system ; Geographical language ; Geography ; Ontology
The GIS language is the highest-level geographical language developed to date, integrating semantic definitions, feature extraction, geographical dynamic representation and spatio-temporal factors and unifying the computation of geographical
phenomena and objects. The GIS language possesses 5 important characteristics : abstraction, systematicness, strictness, precision and hierarchy. In summary, the GIS language provides a new means for people to recognize, understand and simulate entire geo
-environments. Construction of the conceptual model and scientific systems of the GIS language will promote the development of the disciplines of geography and geographical information sciences. Therefore, this paper investigates the prospects of the GIS
language from the perspectives of digital technology, geographical norms, geographical modeling and the disciplinary development of geography.