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The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop (1997)

Chapter: APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES

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Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×

APPENDIX D
TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES

As they registered, worksop participants were directed to a long sheet of newsprint on one wall of the plenary meeting room. Across the top of the paper was a time line beginning with 1950 and reaching to 1996. (The beginning of the time line was later moved back to 1900.) The paper was further divided horizontally by a line. The area above the line was labeled "events," the area below the line "forces." Participants were to write on the paper those events or societal forces they knew about that had propelled the collection, dissemination, and use of spatial data to the present day. The results are presented below. There is no correlation between an event and a force in any given year. This is not meant to be an all inclusive time line and the committee recognizes that it reflects the biases of the participants. No attempt was made to remove any bias. The accuracies of specific dates were not verified.

Time

Event

Force

1910

• International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing formed

 

1940

 

• Post-WWII attitudes to science & technology

1950

 

• ILIAC

 

• Atlas of British meteorological maps

 

1955

 

 

Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×

Time

Event

Force

1957

• Waldo Tobler at University of Wisconsin

• First digitizer

• COBOL invented

• U2 high-altitude photography for mapping

• Computerized atlas of British flora

• Sputnik

1960

 

• Growth of environmental awareness

1961

• Formated file system invented by IBM

 

1962

• First satellite mapping camera (Unamace AS-11)

• Civil disobedience (beginning confidence in questioning authority and in significance of grassroots initiatives)

1963

• Sketchpad (MIT)

• Military-geo info computerized as GIS for battlefield

• First radar map system

1964

• Ready-React produces digital map for the White House

• GPS specifications developed by DOD

• SYMAP

• Bruce Cook, Australia on topology

• Chicago transportation studies (Duane Marble)

 

1965

• CGIS

• LINMAP

• Drugs/Flower children

1966

• Electrostatic printer

• Vietnam War

• WGS-66

1967

• Soil cell digitizing (MIADS)

• New Haven study

• ECU launched

• Harvard lab

 

1968

• MLMIS

• Relational database defined by E. F. Codd

1969

• First spatial data transfer standard published (by ECU)

• LUNR

 

Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×

Time

Event

Force

1970

• Tektronix 4010/4014

• M+S

• Integrated circuit

 

1971

• Blue-ribbon committee creates DMA

• Local governments begin using networks to compute travel times for fire, police, siting, with assistance from NBS and HUD; First application of GIS

• ERTS/Landsat-1

• GBF DIME

• First computer-produced multicolor map in standard series (ECU/BGS)

 

1972

• Nixon's order to consolidate all DOD mapping

• Graphical user interface

• HUD USAC project

• WGS-72

1973

• Ordnance Survey starts digitizing 230,000 maps

 

1974

• ALTAIR (personal computer)

• Endicott Holse topological data structures

• Electric pencil

• UNIX

 

1975

• Federal Mapping Task Force

• IBM's GFIS

• PIOS/GRID

 

1976

• Automated map scanner for soil maps (computer vision)

• GIRAS

• Mandelbrot's first book on fractals

• Larson report

1977

• COMARC

• Digital line graph (DLG)

• Raster-to-vector technology

• Defined standards for DTED-DEAD pads

• Need to handle large volumes of spatial data

• APBS field use of photogrammetry

1978

• IMA GIS for advanced weapons, cruise missile simulators

 

Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×

Time

Event

Force

1979

• DIDS

• RESPA

• World CGA creation of hypermedia

 

1980

• NRC multipurpose cadastre report

• Arpanet creation

• FEMA integration of USGS 1:2 million maps, first wall-to-wall digital map

• NCDCDS initiated

 

1981

• FICCDC formed (Federal Interagency Coordinating Committee on Digital Cartography)

• Large-Format Camera Mission

• Bill Gates talks with IBM

1982

• Digital photogrammetry

• 8088 chip; IBM personal computer

1983

• ETAK formed

• USGS/Census MOU

• NAD-83 (North American Datum)

1984

• University-use "internet"

• SPOEM

• Radio Shack M-100

• DMA DPS initiated

• Dane County Land Records Project

• Client-server RISC chip

• WGS-84

• 80286 computer

1985

 

• First GPS satellites launched

1986

• Burrough published

 

1987

• Mapping Science Committee formed

• 80386 computer

1988

• First public TIGER files

• NCGIA created

• Berlin Wall comes down

1989

 

 

1990

• FGDC formed

• DLPO

 

1991

• National Digital Ortho Program

• DMA DPS IOC

• USGS topo series completed

• 80486 computer

• Dissolution of the Soviet Union

Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×

Time

Event

Force

1992

• DMA GGIS initiative

• DHI (MSDDD)

• NSGIC formed

• OMB Circular A-130

1993

• NRC Report Toward a Coordinated Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Nation"

• Spatial data on Internet

• GIS on NT

• Spatial data transfer standard

• National Performance Review (NSDI issue paper)

• End of Cold War

• Pentium computer (P5)

1994

• MSC Partnerships report

• FGDC framework report

• Open GIS Consortium established

• WWW hypertext

• ISO TC 211

• Executive Order 12906

1995

• FGDC clearinghouse

• FGDC metadata standard

• Windows 95 operating system

• TVA geographic partnerships

• GIS brought forward as force of change at U.N. HABITAT-2 conference

• Ordnance Survey finishes digitizing 230,000 maps

• Defense Science Board report on Defense Mapping for Future Operations

• Congress "allows" 1-m imaging from space

• Oklahoma City bombing

• Concept of an IPT formed

• P6 computer

1996

• OGIS Spec. V1

• GPS—selective availability scheduled to be turned off

Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×
This page in the original is blank.
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×
Page 55
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×
Page 56
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×
Page 57
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×
Page 58
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×
Page 59
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX D: TIME LINE OF SIGNIFICANT PAST EVENTS AND FORCES." National Research Council. 1997. The Future of Spatial Data and Society: Summary of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/5581.
×
Page 60
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Public and private institutions are committing resources and making important long-term decisions concerning the collection, management, and use of spatial data. Although these actions are influenced by current pressures, priorities, and opportunities, their ultimate success depends on how these spatial data activities will be relevant to future needs and demands.

The Mapping Science Committee, in cooperation with the Federal Geographic Data Committee, convened a workshop in April 1996 to examine societal and technological changes that might occur within the next 15 years. The purpose was to consider within the context of spatial data activities a series of long-term visions and to identify societal forces and changes that would make those visions more or less likely. The workshop provided a framework for thinking about the future of U.S. spatial data activities.

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