This anthology aims to present the fundamental philosophical issues and tools required by the reflection within and upon geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) . It is an introduction to the philosophy for GIScience from an analytical perspective, which looks at GIS with a specific focus on its fundamental and most general concepts and distinctions. The first part of the book is devoted to explore some of the main philosophical questions arising from GIS and GIScience, which include, among others, investigations in ontology, epistemology, linguistics and geometrical modeling. The second part concerns issues related to spatial and cartographical representations of the geographical world. The third part is focused on the ontology of geography, specifically in terms of geographical entities, objects and boundaries. Finally, in the fourth part, the topic of GIS constitutes a starting point for exploring themes such as quantum geography and disorientation, and for defining professional profiles for geographers with competences in GIS environment. This book on a new and unexplored field of research could be a fundamental point of reference for professional philosophers and geographers interested in the theoretical reflection about the foundational concepts of GIScience. It is also interesting reading material for students (both undergraduates, postgraduates and Ph.D. students) in philosophy, geography, applied ontology, GIScience, geomatics and computer science.

Placed at the intersection among philosophy, geography, and computer science, the domain of investigation of applied ontology of geography ranges from making explicit assumptions and commitments of geography as a discipline, to the theoretical and technical needs of geographical/IT tools, such as GIS and geo-ontologies. Such a domain of investigation represents the central topic of discussion of this book, which intends: 1) to provide an overview of the mutual interactions among the disciplines encompassed in the domain; 2) to discuss notions such as spatial representation, boundaries, and geographical entities that constitute the main focus of the (philosophical) ontology of geography; 3) to propose a geographical classification of geo-ontologies in response to their increasing diffusion within the contemporary debate, as well as to show what ontological categories best systematize their contents. The second edition of the book differs from the first one as it offers a broader analysis of the (philosophical) ontology of geography: an analysis that is no more limited to the theoretical need of geo-ontologies.

Includes the Proceedings of the Royal geographical society, formerly pub. separately.