Duane F. Marble

Duane Francis Marble (December 10, 1931 – February 22, 2022) was an American geographer known for his significant contributions to quantitative geography and geographic information science (GIScience). Marble had a 40-year career as a professor at multiple institutions, retiring from the Ohio State University and holding a courtesy appointment as Professor of Geosciences at Oregon State University afterward. His early work was highly influential in computer cartography and is regarded as a significant contributor to the quantitative revolution in geography.

Career

Marbles 40 year long academic career included positions at multiple universities, including Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, University at Buffalo, Ohio State University, University of Oregon. Because of this publication and others, he is considered a significant figure in quantitative geography, with the American Association of Geographers Marble Fund Award for Innovative Master’s Research in Quantitative Geography named in his honor.

GIS Master Bibliography

In 1991, Marble began work compiling a master bibliography for GIS related scholarly material. In 1999, this bibliography was merged with the Esri GIS Bibliography, with Esri serving as the curator. The award is available to NMSU geography Masters student whose thesis involves either novel GIS methods or GIS education. Marble won the American Association of Geographers Honors Award in 1993, and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science Education Award in 2007.

AAG Marble Fund for Geographic Science

Marble established the Marble Fund for Geographic Science in 2005 with the help of Esri CEO Jack Dangermond. This fund exists to promote exposure to computer science concepts in geography undergraduate and graduate students through awards for GIScience research, each named for prominent quantitative geographers, including Marble's PhD advisor William Garrison.

Personal life

Marble was married to Jacquelynne Hardester on August 18, 1957. Garrison attended the couple's wedding as one of the Best men. They couple has two children and two grandchildren.