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Table
of Contents | Background & Objective | Contributors
Spatially Integrated Social Science: Background & Objective
Background
The National Science Foundation funds CSISS to enhance national
research infrastructure for the social and behavioral sciences.
CSISS provides opportunities to engage social and behavioral
scientists in the explicit recognition of spatial perspectives
and use of spatial analytic tools. This book was devised as
a conduit for the main CSISS ideals into academia. The concept
for the book was developed in summer 2000 and was released
to the public by Oxford University Press in 2004.
The notion of “spatial social science” is in its
formative stages. It is drawing momentum from rapidly expanding
applications of new geographic information technologies, improved
software, and newly available geographically referenced data
of relevance to social science issues. We anticipate that
spatial thinking and analysis will expand greatly over the
next few years and we hope that this book will assist this
important transition.
In identifying contributors, we looked for authors of articles
with relevant content who were widely cited, supported from
major peer-reviewed funding programs, and noted for use of
spatial approaches within their disciplines. Though the authors
represent several disciplines, they have one major attribute
in common – the application of spatial thinking in their
research designs and execution.
Objective
This book illustrates how the spatial perspective
adds value and insight to social science research, beyond
what traditional non-spatial approaches might reveal and makes
available outstanding examples on the uses of spatial thinking.
21 chapters illustrate how spatial analysis fosters theoretical
understanding and empirical testing. Each chapter exemplifies
the founding principle for the Center for Spatially Integrated
Social Science (CSISS) – that the analysis of social
phenomena in space and time enhances our understanding of
social processes. The chapters offer substantive empirical
content for illustrating the interpretation of specific spatial
analytic approaches suited to advanced research in the social
sciences. It is our hope that the book will help cultivate
an integrated approach to social science research that recognizes
the importance of location, space, spatiality, and place.
Aside from demonstrating applications of spatial analysis
in research, it is anticipated that this book will also be
suited as an advanced-level text for a trans-disciplinary
audience.
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