Planet-Saving Turing Test: A Necessity for Our Future

Computer scientists, science fiction writers, and now mainstream media are fixated on a concept exemplified by Turing’s famous definition of a way to test if a computer is conscious. The Turing Test is simple:

“Turing describes the new form of the problem in terms of a three-person game called the "imitation game", in which an interrogator asks questions of a man and a woman in another room in order to determine the correct sex of the two players. Turing's new question is: "Are there imaginable digital computers which would do well in the imitation game?”

To accurately determine when technology can truly model our world, we must first recognize that everything in existence is interconnected. This understanding is crucial because traditional database methods and even modern "Artificial Intelligence", or AI, often overlook these connections. While they may construct statistical relationships, these are frequently flawed or fail to capture deep, hidden links. Geography is the key to uncovering these hidden connections.

In the quest for integration, the essential role of geography is often overlooked. Tobler's Law eloquently captures this by stating,

"Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things."

Tobler's second law delves deeper into the widespread nature of these connections.(thanks to bonny mcclain🌍 for sharing)

“The phenomenon external to a geographic area of interest affects what goes on inside”

Geography, by its inherent nature, and its technical counterpart, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), is the ultimate integrator of disparate data. Through tools like Near, Buffer, Trace, Geocoding, Slope, Velocity Field, and Overlay, we uncover relationships that remain hidden within the confines of flat database tables. However, as we dissect the Earth, and all of its components including ecosystems, urban landscapes, infrastructure, and even the cosmos into increasingly smaller segments, and store these fragments in vast databases in the Cloud, we risk losing sight of something profoundly significant—the holistic, living world that geography, and by extension, geospatial science and GIS, embody.

In our eagerness to align with the Big Tech paradigm, we must remain faithful to the truths geospatial systems represent. One such fundamental truth is that everything constantly changes. The strength of relationships between things changes constantly. New relationships emerge every moment. How we capture these critical elements is the challenge of our generation. No technology exists that models the living breathing nature of our existence and hoping the flat earth databases will fix this problem is a distraction.

Let’s change the rules

From a geographer's perspective, geospatial science should guide Big Tech's ambitions, not the other way around. We urgently need a fresh approach to representing our planet, its natural environment, our societies, the built world, and even our bodies. This approach must be holistic and integrative, avoiding reductionism. Is anyone already doing this? Based on my observations, the answer is “no.”

The brilliant minds shaping tomorrow's technologies—like AI, advanced databases, cloud computing, quantum computing, UI/UX, and Web3—require an expanded vision. This vision goes beyond merely integrating geospatial data into tabular databases; it embraces a more challenging and ambitious perspective. How can we create the fundamental requirements for a revolution in technology?

Creating a challenge for change

The geospatial community is uniquely positioned to envision and articulate this requirement. Those in the community who are forward-thinking individuals motivated by the possibility of disruption and transformation must come together to identify the requirements for accurately representing the world. Every strategy should emphasize transparency, placing the welfare of all living beings as its core value.

To realize this vision, we need to establish a benchmark or challenge. What would serve as the Turing Test equivalent for accurately modeling our reality?