Logan John R, Zhang Weiwei, Xu Hongwei
Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
GeoJournal. 2010 Jan 1;75(10):15-27. doi: 10.1007/s10708-010-9343-0.
Spatial methods that build upon Geographic Information Systems are spreading quickly across the social sciences. This essay points out that the appropriate use of spatial tools requires more careful thinking about spatial concepts. As easy as it is now to measure distance, it is increasingly important to understand what we think it represents. To interpret spatial patterns, we need spatial theories. We review here a number of key concepts as well as some of the methodological approaches that are now at the disposal of researchers, and illustrate them with studies that reflect the very wide range of problems that use these tools.
基于地理信息系统的空间方法正在社会科学领域迅速传播。本文指出,合理使用空间工具需要更审慎地思考空间概念。如今测量距离虽容易,但理解我们认为它所代表的意义变得愈发重要。为了解释空间模式,我们需要空间理论。在此,我们回顾一些关键概念以及研究人员目前可用的一些方法论,并通过反映使用这些工具的广泛问题的研究来加以说明。