Geographic Education and Research at Canadian Universities

A Soviet visiting geographer assesses the state of geography at Canadian universities in the light of Soviet experience. The system of higher education in geography is found to have expanded considerably in recent years, partly through the formation of new universities and the creation of new geography departments. Despite relatively weak links among universities and a wide diversity in research topics, each major department appears to have specialized in certain areas. This is partly a result of efforts by the Canadian Association of Geographers. The status of various geographic disciplines is briefly reviewed.     

Geographic and Network Neighbors: Spillover Effects of Telecommunications Infrastructure

This paper tests for spatial spillover effects of state-level telecommunications infrastructure investment on state output, using panel data for 48 U.S. states from 1970 through 1997. As information and communication technologies support more industrial locational freedom, states may use telecommunications infrastructure investment as a competitive tool for attracting factors of production. In a production-function framework, this effect would manifest itself as a negative output spillover effect from telecommunications infrastructure investment. Findings indicate that a state benefits from its own telecommunications infrastructure, but telecommunications investment by other states has a negative impact on its output growth path, and proximity amplifies this negative spillover effect.     

A Geographic Network Automata Approach for Modeling Dynamic Ecological Systems

Landscape connectivity networks are composed of nodes representing georeferenced habitat patches that link together based on a species’ maximum dispersal distance. These static representations cannot capture the complexity in species dispersal where the network of habitat patch nodes changes structure over time as a function of local dispersal dynamics. Therefore, the objective of this study is to integrate geographic information, complexity, and network science to propose a novel Geographic Network Automata (GNA) modeling approach for the simulation of dynamic spatial ecological networks. The proposed GNA modeling approach is applied to the emerald ash borer (EAB) forest insect infestation using geospatial data sets from Michigan, U.S.A. and simulates the evolution of the EAB spatiotemporal dispersal network structures across a large regional scale. The GNA model calibration and sensitivity analysis are performed. The simulated spatial network structures are quantified using graph theory measures. Results indicate that the spatial distribution of habitat patch nodes across the landscape in combination with EAB dispersal processes generate a highly connected small-world dispersal network that is robust to node removal. The presented GNA model framework is general and flexible so that different types of geospatial phenomena can be modeled, providing valuable insights for management and decision-making.     

The Changing Faces of Canada: Images of Canada in National Geographic

Carol Shields, one of Canada's and America's most popular and critically acclaimed writers, is the perfect example of the former permeability of the Canada–United States border. Born Carol Ann Warner in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1935, she married Canadian engineering student Donald Shields and immigrated with him to Canada in 1957, becoming a Canadian citizen in 1971. Between her immigration to Canada and her death nearly half a century later, Shields criss-crossed the 49^th parallel – traditionally known as the world's longest undefended border, until 9/11 drastically changed travel – with ease. Her fictional characters cross the Canada–United States border with equal ease. Shields crosses borders not only literally, but also figuratively, as she travels from genre to genre with ease. Most famous for her fiction, Shields published in many genres, including poetry, drama, short stories, biography, and literary criticism, and she incorporates these other genres in her novels. Thus, Shields shows how art can cross borders with exemplary grace.     

历史学与国情教育

今天的中国是历史中国的发展,要想认识今天的中国,首先得认识历史的中国。所以,国情教育在很大程度上就是要对国民进行本国历史的教育,其内容广博而丰富,作用巨大。这里主要阐述了环境、历史文化传统、民族精神、伦理道德、历史规律等几方面的教育功能。     

知识经济与发展民族教育

本文针对知识经济条件下民族教育的现状,分析了民族教育的特点、民族教育发展缓慢的原因及知识经济对民族教育的要求,提出了发展民族教育的原则途径。     

明清时期贵州的民族教育

明代,贵州民族教育在“治国以教化为先,教化以学校为本”的方针下,极为重视土司子弟教育,使之成为“安边”的重要举措。由官府在设府、州、县学的同时,在民族地区创办若干“司学”。清代则用“义学”实施民族教育。其对象由土司子弟扩展到一般“苗民”,对发展少数民族地区的“蒙养”教育有一定积极作用。但义学在民族杂居区推广的成效较大,而于少数民族聚居区、特别是“新辟苗疆”的措施不力。     

Geographic Data Science

It is widely acknowledged that the emergence of “Big Data” is having a profound and often controversial impact on the production of knowledge. In this context, Data Science has developed as an interdisciplinary approach that turns such “Big Data” into information. This article argues for the positive role that Geography can have on Data Science when being applied to spatially explicit problems; and inversely, makes the case that there is much that Geography and Geographical Analysis could learn from Data Science. We propose a deeper integration through an ambitious research agenda, including systems engineering, new methodological development, and work toward addressing some acute challenges around epistemology. We argue that such issues must be resolved in order to realize a Geographic Data Science, and that such goal would be a desirable one.