Geographic information discipline development: Demands, Strategy and challenges

Geographic Information Discipline serves as a critical pillar driving continuous innovation in Earth system science, geography, smart cities, and ecological conservation. Against the backdrop of intensified global environmental changes and diversified societal demands, this discipline faces a dual-challenge of theoretical innovation and technological breakthrough. This paper analyzes geographic information discipline from three perspectives: disciplinary demands, development strategies, and frontier challenges. In terms of disciplinary demands, we explores the requirements of Earth system science for multi-source data integration, dynamic model construction, and cross-scale analysis, as well as the evolving trends of geography within the framework of the ternary world (i.e., physical, human, and information). Regarding development strategies, we proposes strategic pathways from a multidisciplinary perspective encompassing information science, information geography, and geolinguistics. These include advancing the discipline through geographic language development, multi-modal representation, virtual-real integration, and the establishment of a universal language framework. Meanwhile, the paper addresses current theoretical and technical bottlenecks, such as insufficient modeling of information world, limited capacity for high-dimensional dynamic data processing, and the technical demand for real-time 3D scene representation. We emphasizes that under the globalization and digital transformation, geoinformatics is undergoing a comprehensive leap from the physical-human duality to the physical-human-information triad by integrating theories from information science, geography, and cognitive science. Moving forward, the discipline must focus on intelligent systems, multidimensional dynamic analysis, and multidisciplinary collaborative innovation to better address complex geographic phenomena and provide scientific and technological support for global environmental management, resource optimization, and sustainable development. • Geographic Information Discipline drives innovation in Earth system science, smart cities, and ecological conservation, facing challenges in theory and technology. • This paper explores geoinformatics through disciplinary demands, strategies, and challenges, proposing multidisciplinary pathways. . • The study emphasizes the shift from physical-human duality to a triad, integrating information science, geography, and cognitive science. • Key challenges include limited modeling of informational spaces, high-dimensional data processing, and real-time 3D scene representation. • Future development must focus on intelligent systems, dynamic analysis, and multidisciplinary collaboration for global sustainability.