Читать книгу GIS Research Methods - Steven J. Steinberg - Страница 38

Mark Jefferson is another early pioneer in using geographic variables and spatial analysis to study social issues. In 1928, Jefferson, a geographer, used the geographic concept of buffers to analyze the influence of the railroad on settlement patterns in different societies (figure 1.10). His study was unique because he operationalized the modernization or “civilization” of different societies based on the networks of rails (Jefferson 1928). He attempted to analyze societies’ levels of civilization based on their proximity to railroad lines (Corbett 2004). His assumption was that the presence of railroad networks was indicative of “civilized” society.

Figure 1.10 Railroad tracks served as an important means of transportation and thus a spatially relevant feature as towns and resources developed across the country. Yana Gayvoronskaya/Shutterstock.com.

Jefferson drew buffer zones (mapping a ten-mile distance) around the railroads in different countries throughout the world (Jefferson 1928). The notion of buffers was used to extend the examination of the geographic lines the railroads caused. Jefferson’s use of buffers in the study helped people understand where railroads both existed and where they did not exist (Arlinghaus, Goodman, and Jacobs 1997). In other words, those areas outside of the buffer zones represented areas that would not directly benefit from their construction. Buffering around the railroad tracks spread the width of the line, which assisted in mapping and comprehending the significant impact that railroads had on communal development and the “civilization” of societies.

Jefferson found that places that had more extensive railway systems were more “civilized” than places with fewer railway systems. Today, such a study would be viewed as ethnocentric and biased because it favors traits of development that are partial to Western societies (the railroad). Nevertheless, Jefferson was an early applied researcher who adopted a creative approach to incorporating geographic spatial variables into a research project.