What is GIS? Is it a profession unto itself? Is it simply a niche technology inside the broader discipline of information technology (IT)? Or is it a tool that cuts across numerous professional and technological boundaries?

This debate raged over a period of weeks on GITA's GEOXchange list server, where members routinely exchange information and discuss topics relevant to the geospatial industry. This particular thread touched off such a firestorm that the association developed a panel discussion on the topic at GITA's Annual Conference in Denver in March 2005.

Reprinted with Permission from www.gita.org