Open Data and Open Source GIS

The multiple dimensions and scales of emerging open data pose numerous challenges for the application and evaluation of public policies. At the same time, domain researchers have been relatively slow to adopt and implement new spatiotemporally explicit data analysis methods due to the availability of suitable data and the lack of extensible software packages, which becomes a major impediment to the promotion of spatiotemporal thinking and collaboration. In this regard, more attention to open data and open source geographic information system (GIS) is necessary. Free access to the data and source code allows the broader GIS and domain science communities to incorporate additional advances in theoretical perspectives and analytical methods, thus facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration of spatial science and education. A case study of comparative LISA time path is illustrated in the open source GIS context. Additionally, open source implementation of new methods can expedite comparative studies of geographical dynamics.