社会科学和公共政策的空间化和GIS的应用

近年来社会科学的发展出现三大潮流,即“科学化”(强调借用自然科学的计量分析方法和模型)、“空间化”(关注社会经济现象的空间变化和相互作用) 和“应用化”(侧重于政策性规划性强的实用课题)。空间化的社会科学,尤其是应用研究离不开地理信息系统(GIS) 方法的应用,因为GIS 在整合、分析各种数据尤其是空间数据方面有独特优势。本文举例演示GIS 在相关领域(如经济学、语言历史、社会学特别是犯罪学、公共卫生和规划)的广泛应用。选取的案例来源于笔者多年研究的经验,包括美国联邦政府多家研究机构(NSF、NIH、NIJ) 资助的多项研究成果,旨在说明GIS在社会科学和公共政策研究中的应用价值。

Spatially-Integrated Social Sciences and GIS: A Personal Perspective

One of the most important advancements in recent social science research (including applied social sciences and public policy) has been the application of computational methods in studying the complex human or social systems. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has played an important role in this movement because of its capability of integrating and analyzing various datasets, particularly spatial data. Social sciences with a spatial focus can be grouped as "spatially-integrated social sciences". Drawing from research projects supported by various federal grant agencies in the U.S., this paper uses examples to demonstrate the value of GIS in social sciences including economics (urban economics), history and linguistics, sociology (criminology) and public health.