Where is the technology leading us

With GIS technology now about 25 years old, it is appropriate to consider where GIS use may be leading us, with special reference to natural resource management uses and considering forest management in particular. After beginning with a consideration of where GIS technology is going, and with mention of several important related technologies, the paper considers the range of problems and of possible immediate futures for natural resource management generally, and for forest management in particular. The role of GIS in natural resource management is taken up next. Some comments on who determines where GIS technology will go in the future are offered. The paper concludes with a consideration of where GIS technology may lead natural resource management in the next decade and just after the turn of the century.