GIS技术目前存在空间表达不完备、时空表达不融合等问题,在社会化应用方面也缺乏大型的示范性工程。应对上述挑战,GIS需要在时空统一的数据模型构建、有效的数据组织管理技术、空间索引技术、GIS加速器和形式多样的表达和交互能力等方面进行突破,形成可支撑GIS社会化应用的关键技术体系。同时,面向GIS的社会化应用的大力推进,首先,要树立“全方位看世界”的GIS观,其次,GIS的发展必须从面向“地理环境”走向面向“人”,要适应大众对媒体的需求发展影视GIS。在重大GIS社会化应用工程建设方面,家谱GIS是GIS社会化的一个很好的切入点,其对研究和传承中华历史文明具有重要意义。

GIS should be able to support management, integration, sharing and analysis of different kinds of massive, dynamic, unstructured spatio-temporal data. The geometry, space, time, semantics, relationships, and attributes of geographical data should be integrated and expressed comprehensively. And the support for the description, analysis, problem solving and expression of real geographical environment and process should be maintained in a geographical information system. However,existing GIS technologies are still difficult to support the above-mentioned requirements from both theoretical and application perspectives. The spatio-temporal expression, data models, human-computer interaction and operational efficiency are still insufficient, which also lead to the lack of large demonstration projects in social applications. Therefore, it is necessary for GIS to essentially breakthrough such techniques as a unified spatio-temporal data model, effective data management, spatial index, GIS accelerator and various forms of expression and interactive capabilities. The GIS data model and organization should be spatio-temporal unified and need to represent the geographical entity and the spatial distribution of geographical phenomena. The GIS accelerator can support the progressive transmission of data according to the screen resolution constraints. And for the visualization and expression, it needs to develop various GIS expression and interaction methods based on the computer vision, true three-dimensional displays, virtual reality, actual situation fusion, etc. These technologies will form the key technology system supporting the formation of the social applications of GIS. Meanwhile, the correct comprehensive view at the world of the "GIS" concept should be established. In order to develop social applications of GIS, we must firstly establish the perspective of "comprehensive observation of the world" with GIS. Secondly, GIS develops from "geographical environment oriented" towards the "people-oriented", especially VideoGIS for the requirements of the mass media. In the construction of big demonstration projects of GIS social applications, genealogy GIS is a typical socialized GIS application, which plays important roles in the heritage of Chinese history and civilization. It should also promote the genealogy GIS which represented a major social engineering, in order to increase public awareness of participation, and promote the development of social applications GIS.