Tom Edwards - Information Geopolitics

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"I'd always had my nose buried in an atlas," says Tom Edwards, a, Geographer working as a self-employed geostrategy consultant for business and the former Senior Geopolitical Strategist for Microsoft®, "But in seventh grade, I got really excited about geography when our class worked on a Create-A-Country project.”This project took several months and required us to create a country from the ground up including: physical geography, climate, economics, habitat, anthem, flag and a fictitious history of your country," says Edwards, "My country, called Polaris Tundrus, was in hindsight pretty fictional with an icy outer rim and a Mediterranean paradise in the middle, located near Iceland – a Shangri-la type of place." "I still have the project at home," continues Edwards.

 

Edwards' interest in countries of the world took a unique twist. After attaining his B.A. and M.A degrees in Geography, Edwards joined Microsoft® while starting on his Ph.D. in Geography. Although initially working as a cartographer on Encarta Encyclopedia, his role evolved and expanded as he demonstrated the value of geography – even in the IT workplace. Organizing a list of the current countries/regions of the world, dealing with map issues in MapPoint® or Encarta®, consulting on cultural sensitivity issues in Xbox games or mediating between Microsoft® and the People's Republic of China to appropriately handle Taiwan in Chinese software versions are just a few of the challenges Edwards faced in a day as Microsoft’s first Senior Geopolitical Strategist, a unique role he created in a unique team, Geopolitical Strategy, he envisioned and managed.

“One project my group worked on involved the standardization of country/region names, currencies, and languages that were used in all Microsoft® products,” says Edwards, ”It is important that a global business use consistent geographic, political and cultural references across all their potential products and services.”
“One of the biggest challenges I deal with involves overcoming the individual geographic and cultural biases that all of us possess,” says Edwards, “People carry with them many strong opinions about how the world – or their part of it - should be represented.” “It is a challenge to find a compromise among those involved when trying to produce a truly globalized product that maintains consumer trust,” continues Edwards, “We worked hard to raise awareness internally and to educate employees on such matters while providing development strategies that can be put to work.” Edwards also contended with consumer and national governments' viewpoints on the content in Microsoft® products. With all of his interactions with foreign countries and exposure to politics, Edwards has been able to apply many of his geographic skills.

“I use geography in my work every day,” says Edwards, “To me, geography is not just an academic field, a collection of maps, or a set of regional studies. Instead, it is a way of thinking and it is a way to apply knowledge and look at the world.” “The issue of “where” will always be important, even within virtual information environments,” continues Edwards.

“Many people continue to learn geography but we’re applying it many new ways,” says Edwards, “That is why I see geography as one of the most compelling fields – one of the oldest disciplines continues to show its utility and relevance in today’s world.”

Edwards, who departed Microsoft in March 2005 to perform the same type of work but now as the Principal Consultant of his own firm, Englobe Inc., predicts that the future for geographers is bright. “I think the world will of course always need geographers, especially in fields where you would not typically find them,” says Edwards, “It was interesting that people were surprised to find me (a geographer) at Microsoft®, or even now working as a geographer in a business setting.” “But I think geographers add a very interesting and crucial perspective to highly technical or non-traditional subjects and can have a positive if subtle influence over time,” Edwards continues, “Any global company experiences the same challenges to avoid sensitive geographic issues in local markets, so it is not an issue limited to strictly Microsoft®, nor to just information technology firms.”

“I sit in a unique position between the long-standing discipline of geography and the very dynamic information economy” says Edwards, “These are very interesting times for geographers, because technology is changing the global landscape in many ways, from politics to culture to the function of boundaries and so on.”
“In this Information Age that we inhabit, being a geographer and proving your relevance can be a real challenge,” says Edwards,”Holding a firm grasp on the past (I am forever a student of historical cartography) while forging into new intellectual territories is a compelling venture, and to be able to apply that to a ‘Real World’ business situations dealing with real people in real places - not just theoretical research - is very exciting.” Edwards advises, “You don't have to decide what you are going to do with your life in high school.” “I wish I would have grasped that a little better,” says Edwards, “I kept pressuring myself to choose something definite but college ended up being a real exploration in what I wanted to do and eventually my many interests found the most synergy in geography.”

Since geography is so broad, Edwards encourages students to be introspective: get as much background as possible, find out specifically what about geography excites you, what about the world is interesting to you, and what aspect of geography really makes you click. “For me it was the areas of cartography and physical geography -- that is what got me hooked early on,” says Edwards, “I discovered later in the process that the geopolitics behind those lines on the map were as much - if not more - compelling.”

Tom Edwards may not be creating countries but, he is helping to shape the world one point and click at a time.

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