Frictions between heterogeneous worlds

Abstract

Geography, architecture and town planning found a new cooperation area thanks to recent interoperability progresses. Geographers drawing up maps of large areas, town planners dealing with cities or districts and architects trying to integrate buildings to these districts are the links of a chain which embraces various professions applying different codified and standardised modes of representation. These modes result from long practices which have succeeded in capturing interpretations of their domains and of the objects while complying with the need for practicality and efficiency. The aim of this paper is to give an overall view of the critical friction points between these worlds, allowing a rational and reasonable reception of the merged object. The corresponding computer tools are already available or about to be. We also make some recommendations concerning the implementation of an information system able to take into account the needs of all the professions involved in the process. It is mandatory to preserve the culture of each profession and respect everybody point of view to achieve a good level of integration and a better communication. Examples will be chosen at the frontiers between architecture and town planning. J.L. Borges showed us the limits beyond which the world as a whole can no longer be accounted for: the map could be as large as the territory to perfectly match it. But it would then turn into a territory on the road to oblivion.