本文初步分析了GIS兴起的背景及其主要功能,在剖析信息社会中人文地理学发展所面临的机遇和挑战基础上,就GIS在人文地理学中的作用和发展方向进行了阐述,并就加速GIS与人文地理学的结合提出了几点对策。

This paper analysed the development background and the main functions of GIS, discussed the opportunities and difficulties that human geography are facing in the information society. GIS offers a new work interface for human geography study. It will be the main tool to deal with human geographic information, it is also an auxiliary tool for human geography study. The author points out there are three development directions of applying GIS to human geography:integrated development of "3S" Remote Sense and GPS), market-aimed and socialized development, development of human geography expert system. In the end, the author gived some advice on accelerating the application of GIS in human geography:(1) First, the importance of GIS for human geography development should be emphasized, (2) It's time to make a plan of training human geographers to apply GIS. (3) Taking the market as its development direction, walk an industrialized develonment way. (4) Human geographers should enhance cooperation with the experts of other fields, and improve the knowledge structure of themselves.