Abstract: [Purposes]In response to the limitations of traditional geographic information systems which primarily focus on Earth's surface and can no longer meet the increasingly complex cross-scale application demands,this study focuses on the pan-spatial information system (PSIS),an important emerging direction in GIS theory.It summarises the background of PSIS development in the context of challenges faced by GIS in the era of big data and analyses its core concepts and modelling theories.[Methods]By systematically reviewing research achievements on PSIS over the past decade,this study identifies and synthesises its main characteristics,key technologies,and typical application cases.[Findings]The findings reveal that PSIS is characterised by diverse spatio-temporal object types,complex and heterogeneous computational environments,highly variable application scenarios,and comprehensive and efficient information processing capabilities.PSIS has already been widely applied in fields such as smart cities and natural resource management.[Conclusions]Future research on PSIS should focus on three main aspects:strengthening theoretical foundations,integrating cutting-edge technologies,and expanding application domains.

Key words: geographic information system, pan-spatial information system, spatio-temporal domain, spatio-temporal object, spatio-temporal objects of multi-granularity