A Geographer Looks at Spatial Information Theory

Abstract. Geographic information is defined as a subset of spatial information, specific to the spatiotemporal frame of the Earth’s surface. Thus geographic information theory inherits the results of spatial information theory, but adds results that reflect the specific properties of geographic information. I describe six general properties of geographic information, and show that in some cases specialization has assumed other properties that are less generally observed. A recognition of the distinction between geographic and spatial would allow geographic information theory to achieve greater depth and utility.

Transport geography: perspectives upon entering an accomplished research sub-discipline

No abstract available

Measuring the geography of opportunity

Quantitative segregation research focuses almost exclusively on the spatial sorting of demographic groups. This research largely ignores the structural characteristics of neighborhoods – such as crime, job accessibility, and school quality – that likely help determine important household outcomes. This paper summarizes the research on segregation, neighborhood effects, and concentrated disadvantage, and argues that we should pay more attention to neighborhood structural characteristics, and that the data increasingly exist to include measures of spatial segregation and neighborhood opportunity. The paper concludes with a brief empirical justification for the inclusion of data on neighborhood violence and a discussion on policy applications

Maps In/Out Of Place. Charting alternative ways of looking and experimenting with cartography and GIS

Nowadays, new speculative and experimental ferments on analog and digital mapping are variously infusing both \u201cinsiders\u201d (geographers, cartographers, urban planners, GIS scientists) and \u201coutsiders\u201d (Art historians and creative practitioners)\u2019 work. To properly evidence and discuss the excitement of mapping that is emerging through a wide range of visual and aesthetical contributions, it is important to contextualize and compare such unconventional practices of map-making in terms of reflexivity and transitivity of geographic knowledge production. This means respectively to distinguish different roles assumed by geographers, cartographers and GIS scientists in the interpretation and application of new theories and practices of mapping, but also to take seriously into consideration the creative mapping culture which is becoming visible outside of their discipline, for example in the artistic domain. In this report, I focus on the \u201creflexive\u201d stance, by giving a personal, thus not exhaustive, overview of the creative trajectories on mapping currently explored in carto/geography. After emplacing the theory and experimentation on maps and geospatial data within the context of academic geographic production, I discuss three projects where geographers and GISscientists are at the forefront of the concurrent rethinking of the map as a deforming and multidimensional tool for spatial analysis

Metropolis on the margins: talent attraction and retention to the St. John’s city-region

The objective of this research is to examine the factors that influence the attraction and retention of creative and highly educated workers in a small-sized Canadian city. The study examines two hypotheses: that the social dynamics of city-regions constitute the foundations of economic success in the global economy; and, that talented, highly educated individuals will be attracted to those city-regions that offer a richness of employment opportunity, a high quality of life, a critical mass of cultural activity and social diversity. The hypotheses are explored through in-depth interviews with creative and highly educated workers, employers and intermediary organizations. The evidence from the interviews suggests mixed support for the hypotheses. In view of these findings, we contend that the specificities of place must be more carefully theorized in the creative class literature and be more carefully considered by policy-makers designing policies directed towards attracting and retaining talented and highly educated workers

Teaching Cartography with Comics: Some Examples from BeccoGiallo\u2019s Graphic Novel Series

This article suggests the use of comics, particularly of graphic novels, as valuable instructional tools for teaching cartography. Of particular interest is the idea that comics can be used to develop students\u2019 geographical competencies, their ability to think actively about cartographical issues, and their capacity to interact with \u201cmaps as mappings\u201d (Dodge, Kitchin and Perkins, 2009). The theoretical references used to conduct the deep interdisciplinary proposal and analysis include: the growing field of literary cartography, recent post-representational theories in cartography, and the emerging field of \u201ccomic book geography\u201d (Dittmer, 2014). The article reads comics as maps and analyzes their map-like features to demonstrate that both maps and comics ask the reader-user to be actively engaged to decipher, orient, and practice them. Proposing to read \u201cmaps as comics\u201d, \u201cmaps of comics\u201d, \u201cmaps and mappings in comics\u201d, and \u201ccomics as maps and mappings\u201d, the article suggests the possible practical employment of comics in cartography classes. Furthermore, this study uses examples from BeccoGiallo\u2019s comic series to demonstrate that graphic novels may help students become more aware map readers and users, by being involved in an active spatial practice. Finally, this article focuses on the unexplored educational potential of graphic novels by exploring the improvement of students\u2019 understanding of post-representational cartographical approaches through comic use