Open Source GIS and the Reproducibility Crisis

Reproducibility is founded upon research being able to be checked and transparent. Open source GIS can help with the reproducibility crisis for geography by eliminating key obstacles that hinder research reproduction. One key aspect of research reproduction that can be helped by open source GIS is eliminating unnecessary variation in methods. By having free access to full source code with little to no cost, researchers can see how the original study utilized data to get the initial results. Open source GIS expands the ability for research to be checked as well as the ability for research to be transparent to a wider audience. In a greater sense, a more transparent view of geography research methods promotes the democratization of data and expands accessibility for the reproduction of the discipline’s research.

As mentioned in the TedTalk, “Research Culture is Broken; Open Science Can Fix It,” another obstacle in the reproducibility crisis (in much of science including geography) can be the competitive nature of research. Especially in a culture constantly focused on reputation, academia can foster spaces where withholding key data and methods can benefit researchers. Though open source GIS can help researchers to easily share knowledge/research/data, it also greatly emphasizes reputation through a “gift economy.” (Rey, 195) The ability for one to use open source resources without attributing to the original authors could create an imbalance of incentives for those involved in competitive academia.

References

NASEM (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine). 2019. Reproducibility and Replicability in Science. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. DOI:10.17226/25303

Rey, S. J. 2009. Show me the code: Spatial analysis and open source. Journal of Geographical Systems 11 (2):191–207. DOI: 10.1007/s10109-009-0086-8