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Table of Contents | Background
& Objective | Contributors
Spatially Integrated Social Science: Chapter 1
Chapter 2 >
Thinking Spatially in the Social Sciences
Michael F. Goodchild
and Donald G. Janelle
Abstract
This introduction offers a framework for
the conceptual integration of chapters that are intended to
illustrate the practice and value of spatial thinking in the
social sciences. We begin with an illustration of how the
organization of information in non-spatial and spatial formats
yields different interpretations, and of how failure to include
locational information can shortchange our interpretations
of social process. While different disciplines pose different
research questions and have different traditions of analysis,
we argue that a spatial perspective provides a common thread
based on methods of descriptive and exploratory analysis.
Specific attention is called to the importance of place-based
analysis, the scientific value of spatially explicit models
and theory, the utility of geographic information systems
(GIS), and the value of space as a basis for integrating knowledge.
GIS and spatial statistics are highlighted as appropriate
exploratory tools for integrating diverse databases, and for
analyzing and visualizing geographical patterns and processes.
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