Читать книгу GIS Research Methods - Steven J. Steinberg - Страница 84

Research can have a variety of purposes. When doing applied research, you may often conduct descriptive research that shows the current state of things. Two additional purposes of research are to explore data and to attempt to explain why things are the way they are. Of course, the practical goal of many research projects is to solve a specific problem or suggest alternatives. A GIS is an excellent tool for all of these research goals, especially in situations where data from a variety of sources must be brought together. With the speed and analytical power of a GIS, it becomes feasible to explore many more analysis options and characteristics of data than might be initially expected.