Читать книгу GIS Research Methods - Steven J. Steinberg - Страница 56

The geographic component of GIS is simultaneously obvious, confusing, and difficult to master. From an early age, we all develop an understanding that the locations of people and places can be marked on a map, and furthermore, that connections can be made between these locations. What we may not have is a good understanding about the scientific basis for mapping—that is, the numerous issues of scale, coordinates, control datums, and so forth. Other than mapping professionals, very few people have a deep conceptual understanding of the mathematical algorithms behind these concepts and the potential errors that result from various combinations and interactions of such data.

Fortunately, most of these underlying issues are addressed for us through the GIS software, so it is not essential to have a deep understanding of them. It is important, though, that you pay attention to a few essential concepts, even if you do not know exactly how they work. You can think of this as analogous to knowing the difference between a CD player and an MP3 player—you know these are different tools with different strengths and weaknesses, but selecting the right one does not require you to understand their inner workings. What is important is that you know which format to ask for so that the medium selected fits the player you own.

GIS has been used to locate and manage natural resources and is a well-embraced technology among many in business and marketing. Although GIS is very valuable to social science research, it has not been incorporated as frequently into this field. Many social science studies focus on social, economic, cultural, and survey data, asking questions such as, Do pregnant women who are better educated or wealthier receive higher-quality prenatal care? Perhaps more probing questions would ask about the locations of prenatal clinics relative to available public transportation, child care, and so on. You might use census data to conduct a statistical analysis of census block groups and levels of prenatal care but may miss an important locational component. Often, when explored in conjunction with other map-based location information (e.g., where are the blocks located relative to other important components?), a more complete understanding of the causative relationships can be obtained. Furthermore, from an applied standpoint, the geographic component can help in determining where to best locate and spend limited resources to help improve the situation.

In reality, almost all information researchers collect about people, their communities, and their environments can be tied to some geographic location. For example, you may survey people at their home address or by some geographic unit such as a census block or city of residence. All of these locations can be easily mapped. Furthermore, if privacy is a concern, you can engage in data aggregation, which means using a larger geographic unit to mask specific, personal information. In short, if you can answer the question, Where were the data collected?, then GIS is an appropriate means for storing and analyzing the data.