GIS Methods in Time-Geographic Research: Geocomputation and Geovisualization of Human Activity Patterns

Over the past 40 years or so, human activities and movements in space‐time have attracted considerable research interest in geography. One of the earliest analytical perspectives for the analysis of human activity patterns and movements in space‐time is time geography. Despite the usefulness of time geography in many areas of geographical research, there are very few studies that actually implemented its constructs as analytical methods up to the mid‐1990s. With increasing availability of geo‐referenced individual‐level data and improvement in the geo‐computational capabilities of Geographical Information Systems (GIS), it is now more feasible than ever before to operationalize and implement time‐geographic constructs. This paper discusses recent applications of GIS‐based geo‐computation and three‐dimensional (3‐D) geo‐visualization methods in time‐geographic research. The usefulness of these methods is illustrated through examples drawn from the author's recent studies. The paper attempts to show that GIS provides an effective environment for implementing time‐geographic constructs and for the future development of operational methods in time‐geographic research.     

Charting the development of social and cultural geography in Mainland China: voices from the inside*

This article provides an overview of the recent development of social and cultural geography in China. It discusses six major bodies of work: cultural areas, cultural diffusion and cultural integration; geographies of ethnic cultures; cultural landscape and cultural economy; place and place-based cultural politics; marginal social groups; and geographies of social injustice. Although social and cultural geography is still located on the periphery of the disciplinary landscape of Chinese human geography, it is nonetheless developing into a noteworthy field of research. We start this review by calling attention to some problems in epistemologies and analytical approaches. Social and cultural geography in China often suffers from an analytical separation between environment and culture as ontologically enclosed entities. Also, it pays insufficient attention to the mutually constitutive relations between the social and the spatial. However, more recent studies have begun to engage with constructionist/poststructuralist approaches, and develop less positivist interpretations of space, social relations and cultural meanings. This review suggests that social and cultural geography in China needs to develop broader research scopes and strengthen theoretical frameworks. It concludes by calling for constructive dialogues between Chinese and Western human geographical scholarships.     

Spatial/temporal mismatch: a conflation protocol for Canada Census spatial files

The Canada census is one of the chief sources of demographic and socio-economic data for researchers in this country. Census variables are linked to geography files that allow researchers using geographic information systems (GIS) to view and analyze spatial data. Some of the most useful analysis, however, is based on changes in attribute values over time and space. Analysis of spatio- temporal events such as shifting migration patterns or changes in the distribution of health status permits a more dimensioned perspective than the viewing of static spatial phenomena. The analysis of spatio-temporal phenomena is limited by major changes in the spatial framework (e.g., location of road networks and other spatial entities) between national censuses. This paper addresses this limitation by (i) illustrating the extent of spatial mismatch between the 1996 and the 2001 census; (ii) examining attempts to rectify this problem in other jurisdictions and (iii) presenting a 'made-in-Canada' solution for conflation of census geometries. We believe that this solution will enhance the ability of Canadian researchers to describe and analyze socio-economic, health and demographic shifts across time and space. The research is supported by an ftp site for downloading the census geography rectification software presented in this paper.     

Reimagining GIScience for relational spaces

A mismatch between largely absolute Newtonian models of space in GIScience and the relational spaces of critical human geography has contributed to mutual disinterest between the fields. Critical GIS has offered an intellectual critique of GIScience without substantially altering how particular key geographical concepts are expressed in data structures. Although keystone ideas in GIScience such as Tobler's “First Law” and the modifiable areal unit problem speak to enduring concerns of human geography, they have drawn little interest from that field. Here, we suggest one way to reformulate the computational approach to the region for relational space, so that regions emerge not through proximity in an absolute space or similarities in intensive properties, but according to their similarities in relations. We show how this might operate theoretically and empirically, working through three illustrative examples. Our approach gestures toward reformulating key terms in GIScience like distance, proximity, networks, and spatial building blocks such as the polygon. Re‐engaging the challenges of representing geographical concepts computationally can yield new kinds of GIS and GIScience resonant with theoretical ideas in human geography, and also lead to critical human geographic practices less antagonistic to computation.     

General Geographic Concepts

Following are fragments of a book devoted to theoretical geography on which Professor Smirnov, head of the Department of Economic Geography of Odessa University, was working at the time of his death in July, 1969. An attempt is made to formulate a system of general geographic concepts that would constitute the axiomatic foundation of geography. Several types of fundamental concepts are distinguished: spatial concepts; concepts of the structure and functions of geographical formations; concepts of simple and complex formations, etc. The present paper is limited to an examination of spatial concepts associated with geographical space, which is viewed as one of the general properties of geographical formations. Three basic spatial concepts are discussed: (a) the concept of group space, meaning the space occupied by a set of interrelated objects, as opposed to the individual space of a single object; (b) the concept of spatial integration of phenomena, implying causal relationships; (c) the concept of geographical commonality of phenomena, as opposed to the theory of uniqueness or local exclusiveness. The interplay of general laws and purely local relationships gives rise to a spatial field of interaction known as the geographical field. A geographical formation and its field of interaction may be centered, as in urban settlement, industry and other nodal phenomena, or they may be noncentered, as in rural settlement, agriculture and other spatially continuous phenomena. Other concepts are the area, shape, orientation and spatial dynamics of development of geographical formations.     

What Has the Geography of Sleeping Arrangements Got to Do with the Geography of Our Teaching Spaces?

As geographers we are used to researching and teaching about those other than ourselves and it is timely to turn our gaze on the social and spatial practices of our own teaching spaces. One particular teaching space is the overnight geography field trip, a context in which geography fieldwork is ostensibly the main focus for two or more consecutive days. Teaching spaces such as classrooms and field trips, like all social spaces, are imbued with spoken and unspoken assumptions about sexuality, gender and 'race'. Geography field trips are one site in which to examine how social space is constituted via spoken and unspoken assumptions and how these assumptions shape field trip participants' understandings of themselves within these spaces. Simultaneously, field trips offer a site for the consideration of the socio-spatial relations of the reproduction of contemporary geographic knowledge. This article is one response to what Jon Binnie identified as an urgent need for geographers to understand how geography is being taught. Although sleeping arrangements are 'not formally notified' as part of fieldwork activity, the author demonstrates how sleeping arrangements conveyed important messages about sexuality, gender and cultural practices during seven overnight field trips held by two universities and two high schools in New Zealand. The concern is how apparently mundane arrangements such as the organisation of sleeping might reveal the ongoing hegemonic social and spatial relations of teaching and learning geography, as these are shaped by sexuality, gender and 'race', so that we might be better informed to challenge and change these practices.     

基于行为空间视角的大观园空间解读

对微观个体行为空间研究已经成为人文地理学空间研究的重要内容。本文以曹雪芹《红楼梦》中核心人物的活动信息和空间信息为资料依据,在国内首次从地理学微观个体行为的视角,在理论和方法论上对小说核心人物行为空间进行思考和研究,尝试将行为地理学研究方法引入文学文本研究领域。研究认为:从地理学视角对小说核心人物的空间信息、活动信息进行统计,以此作为人物微观个体行为空间信息要素是可行的;从地理学行为空间视角思考作者对小说文本内容设计意图,有利于对小说文本进行理性的解读与思考,避免文本被意识形态化。     

旅游流空间模式基本理论:问题分析及其展望

旅游流是旅游地理学的基本问题,而旅游流空间模式的研究,自20世纪50年代以来则是旅游流研究的热点问题。通过文献分析法,本文将旅游流空间模式基本理论梳理为圈层结构理论、核心边缘理论、空间扩散理论。在此基础上,揭示其存在的若干问题,包括研究中存在的"区域视角"和"旅游者个体视角"混淆的认知问题、旅游客源地和旅游目的地在区域视角下如何界定的问题、空间模式研究中广泛存在的"二元陷阱"问题、区域间旅游职能分化及其分化程度尚无科学分析的问题等。文末对未来研究进行了展望,以期从理论意义上深化旅游流基本问题的建构。需指出的是,旅游流作为"非工作流"的一种,其"流现象"、"流空间"和"流效应"同样可适用于其它形式的"流研究"。     

A Selected Bibliography of Mathematical Articles in Soviet Economic Geography (1960–1968)

Advocates of a new discipline of theoretical geography seek to bolster their argument for establishment of the discipline with quotations from Lenin. Theoretical geography, conceived more broadly than Bunge's mathematical geography, would seek to generalize the findings of all the particular geographical disciplines, to formulate general geographical laws, develop a common geographic method and common approaches to the formalization and modeling of geographic phenomena. Its objects of study are so-called geosystems, which are conceptualized as totalities of the autonomous spatial systems of the environment, population and the economy. Each geosystem is viewed as being associated with its geospace, defined as the “eigenspace of geographical objects, of geographically whole formations”. Geosystems are regarded as possessing a certain degree of freedom in contrast to the view that cause-and-effect relations within such systems are rigidly predetermined. The outlines of a number of general geographic laws are suggested. They include the law of growing contrast in spatial systems of all types and the law of asynchronism in the development of spatial systems. Theoretical geography is presented as having significant practical application in the analysis and prediction of the effect of man's development of spatial systems, in setting of development priorities and determining optimal types of development.     

基于新经济地理“3D”框架的旅游经济空间结构特征分析——以长江三角洲地区为例

本文借鉴新经济地理学的"3D"(density,distance,division)框架理论,构建了旅游经济空间"T—3D"分析体系,分别以旅游经济地理集中度、时空距离及旅游联系诠释了旅游经济空间的密度、距离及整合。以长三角地区为例,刻画了旅游经济空间的T—3D特征。研究结果表明:长三角地区各市旅游经济空间密度的数值差异明显,空间分布差异显著,整体呈现"南疏北密"的分布特征;长三角地区旅游经济空间距离总体较优,各城市间距离较近,且差异不大,呈现出"核心—边缘"特征;旅游经济空间整合表现为上海、杭州、苏州三足鼎立之势,呈现出"一核两翼"的区域旅游发展特征。通过对长三角地区的实证分析,验证了旅游经济空间"T—3D"分析体系的有效性。     

GEOGRAPHY'S SPATIAL PERSPECTIVE AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF ERNST CASSIRER

O ne of the distinctive features of geographic research is the spatial perspective which is manifested in the geographic literature through the use of a wide variety of spatial concepts. Until the recent work of phenomenological geographers, the variety of concepts used by geographers conformed to the ideals of a scientific geography in that they referred to measurable relations between phenomena. The relations may be directly measurable, such as the highway distance between Los Angeles and San Diego, or they may be indirectly measurable, such as an individual's perception of the distance between the same two cities. This interest in both objective as well as perceived spatial relationships illustrates the expanded scope of geography's spatial perspective, which has resulted in an increase in the number of spatial concepts of significance to geographers and a proliferation of the meanings given to the traditional spatial concepts of geography.     

ENGINEERING SPATIAL FIXES: RELATIONAL SPATIAL PRACTICES,STRATEGIC‐TOPOLOGICAL APPROACH AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FINNISH SCIENCE‐TECHNOLOGY DISTRICT

It can be argued that the relational approach, and especially the so‐called relational economic geography, would benefit from deeper engagement with the practical and strategic dimensions of spatial relations. The article proposes a notion of engineering spatial fix as a way to conceptualize these dimensions. The idea is to widen the conceptual sphere of relationality from spontaneous ties or abstract networked power effects towards relational spatial practices. Theoretically, the article aims to bridge the strategic‐relational and the network‐topological approaches through a stylized meso‐level practice‐oriented approach. It is suggested that in economic geography, relations can be grasped through two basic perspectives: relations as analytical lenses and relations as spatial practices. The article proposes that the relational spatial practices can be divided into two dimensions: topological and strategic. The article presents a case study of a science‐technology district of Turku in 1985–2001, which fleshes out the theoretical elaborations. In the process, the relational concept of synergy is utilized as a context‐specific strategic resource as the district evolves from an initial separate building to a distinct and materialized geographical structure.     

Digging up Unearthed down-under: a hybrid geography of a musical space that essentialises gender and place

Hybrid geographies are well developed in studies of human–nature relations and environmental humanities, but less so in geographies of music and gender. In this article, we use hybrid geographies to frame our critical engagement with Australia's triple j's Unearthed, a publically funded website and radio station that presents new music. Hybrid approaches enable us to understand gendered power relations in music by deconstructing the ways power differences are built on cultural, social, spatial and technological relations. Engaging netnographic and mixed-method approaches we critique Unearthed as a democratic music cyberspace. We identify the limited constructions of gender and geographic location, some of which are unique to this online presence, while others are shared with broader musical spaces. We argue that the interactions between technology, artists, fans and the online spaces, as mediated by Unearthed, situate emerging artists in relation to gender, geography and genre, and thus constrain possibilities for a more democratic musical space. Unearthed manifests as a musical space where rurality is exoticised while urban origins are diminished, and hegemonic masculinities remain dominant. We suggest that the potential of Unearthed can be realised if gender and geographic hegemonies are recognised and otherness is de-essentialised.     

Scales,Lines and Minor Geographies: Whither King Island?

These are exciting times for geographers, with stimulating possibilities being offered to the discipline by various bodies of poststructural, especially deleuzian, theory. There is, however, a dearth of empirical studies utilising these opportunities, particularly in Australian geography. King Island, located in Bass Strait, is used in this article to broach some theoretical potentials. First, we introduce deleuzian theory. Second, we view King Island through three geographic representations and respective mappings. Third, we discuss the implications of lived practices, which constitute various (major and minor) geographies on and of King Island, for existing perspectives on spatial relations and linear flows between local and global scales. Lastly, we explore some recent treatments of space inflected through the work of Deleuze and Guattari, consolidating some spatial concepts and relations gleaned from King Island's cartographic moments and movements.     

当代国外对城市生活空间评价与社区规划的研究

西方发达国家20世纪70年代以后陆续进入后工业化阶段,城市的空间问题主要涉及到社会空间方面。地理学对其研究的核心是在探讨城市社会-生活空间结构的基础上,准确地理解、判识生活空间的质量与类型,并通过规划制定出社会-生活区域治理对策,以提高城市空间(社区)的生活质量为最终目的。对以上命题的探索涉及到当代社会地理学、城市地理学以及在此基础上产生的城市社会地理学前沿性研究。本文从综合理念与研究模式的角度,概括当代西方国家地理学对其的探索现状、研究内容、运用的方法论以及代表成果类型。     

1990年以来西方城市社会地理学研究进展

本文对1990年以来西方城市社会地理的研究特点进行概括,表现为研究成果不断增多、主题多样化和研究方法上从量化到质化的转变,然后从内容上进行归纳,包含社会公平、疾病与健康地理、犯罪地理、感应地理等研究重点,其中社会公平又细分为对弱势群体地理研究、福利地理以及女性地理学。这些研究在侧重点上有较大转变,从一般性社会要素空间区位探讨过渡到要素背后的社会、文化、政治等情境的结构式剖析,注重研究社会空间的隐喻和文化意义、社会问题对空间的塑造机制以及特定空间对人的再造等。在此基础上对西方城市社会地理研究进行简要评价,归结为问题导向、主题多样化、地方性研究和质化与本位研究主导,最后提出对中国社会地理研究的初步建议:壮大中国社会地理研究队伍、积极借鉴其它学科、以居民日常行为地理研究为突破口。     

Gender and Feminist Geography in Colombia

Abstract

The article explains how gender and feminist geography as a transversal analytical category to geography have been introduced recently in Colombia. At the beginning of the XXI century, in the geography department of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the first undergraduate thesis to focus on the relationship between gender and processes of social construction of space was presented. Since then, the contributions of geographers and researchers from a feminist geographic perspective have contributed to the feminist geographical debates from their own trajectories. The contemporary geographical landscape in Colombia is linked with the transversal debates on feminisms and gender in social sciences, social movements and Latin-American feminisms. This networks and connections allows today a diversity of themes from the deconstruction of hegemonic spatial representations in different contexts, gender and conflicts related to territory and body, to some new approaches to technologies and virtual social interactions and their connotation in the construction of non-normative spatialities.     

国外对空间剥夺及其城市社区资源剥夺水平研究的现状与趋势

本文从城市社会地理学的社会-生活空间质量观的视角、结合国外相关研究文献,首次系统地分析了国外对空间剥夺以及城市社区资源剥夺研究的现状、内容,及其所涉及的相关学科以及在此基础上所形成的研究理念、流派、原理与方法。总结了这一研究命题对城市管理、城市规划、社区规划与商娱场所空间布局的指导意义,以期为国内的相关研究提供借鉴。     

大数据时代的人文地理研究与应用实践

信息通信技术快速发展带来了大数据时代的到来,改变着区域或城市空间组织及居民行为,流空间成为人类活动的主要载体,并使得人文地理学理论与方法面临革新。本文在梳理国内外文献基础上,认为大数据时代的人文地理研究开始更加注重自然与人文学科间的融合、数据密集型研究方法的革新、以居民活动为主体的人本科学性,并构建了人文地理学及其主要分支学科在大数据时代研究的总体框架。同时,也提出了大数据面向空间规划方法和技术、居民个体行为决策优化、企业运营决策、政府宏观政策制定与管理等方面的应用方向。     

Some Remarks About the Future of Geographical Analysis: The Journal and the Sub‐Discipline

This paper expands upon a GA 50^th Anniversary panel presentation made at the 2018 New Orleans American Association of Geographers meeting. It notes that retrospectives for this topic already exist, both in terms of the journal and the sub‐discipline. This paper presents discussion about the following selected prominent transitional themes bridging the past and the future of geographical analysis: space–time data; geographic uncertainty and error; and, dimensional reduction spatial statistical modeling. It also presents discussion about the following three themes that are expected to receive considerable future attention: negative spatial autocorrelation; synergies between spatial statistics and spatial optimization; and, big spatial data. The first two of these topics essentially have been ignored in the literature to date.