Abstract
As a product of the deep integration between geography and information science, information geography is emerging as a key research field for understanding the complexity of human–environment interactions and addressing global change. This paper systematically reviews the core concepts and recent progress of information geography, focusing on four representative frontier topics: geospatial big data analysis and modeling, virtual geographic environments and digital twin Earth, geographic social sensing and volunteered geographic information, and geographic knowledge graphs and intelligent geographic question answering. The paper highlights that geospatial big data analysis has driven a paradigm shift in geographical computation from static description to dynamic prediction; virtual geographic environments and digital twin technologies have enabled programmable simulation and intelligent decision-making in geospatial systems; volunteered geographic information has strengthened the humanistic and societal responsiveness of geography; and geographic knowledge graphs have accelerated the transition from data-driven to knowledge-driven intelligence. Through a systematic exploration of these frontiers, this paper aims to reveal the scientific value and future development directions of information geography in bridging the physical and digital worlds and promoting the co-evolution of human–environment systems.
