Models in geography revisited

Agent based models (ABMs) have many applications, and illustrate a rapidly developing field of enquiry, spanning both the physical-mathematical and human-social sciences. ABMs are seen as most appropriate in situations where decisions or actions are distributed around particular locations, and in which structure is viewed as emergent from the interaction between individuals. ABMs may be used either as representational devices, to reproduce the patterns observed or desired in the system of interest, or as foundational tools contributing to the development of social or economic theory. The role and status of models and modelling is itself an instantiation of a wider debate concerning representation and explanation. Today, a case can be made that the nature of explanation and the use of scientific interpretation reflect much less definite and exclusive positions and permit more diverse approaches than hitherto. The underlying proposition of this commentary is, therefore, that the time is right for a positive application of ABMs within the discipline of geography, and for a rediscovery and reappraisal of the richness and depth of insight in the model-building enterprise more generally. First, the context for ABM development and application is set with reference to the agency-structure debate. Second, some aspects of the heritage of models in geography is presented, based upon reviews of two benchmark publications bearing that title. Next, some of the most significant characteristics, uses, potentials and limitations of ABMs, are reviewed. Finally, some constructive ways forward are suggested, as informed by theory and method from the interpretative social sciences.     

Withered Geography

This commentary is a response to an article by Jay R. Harman in the November 2003 issue of The Professional Geographer. I argue that Harman's claim that scholarly disciplines offer social “returns” in a competitive “market” obscures the fundamentally political nature of how social resources are allocated and how social needs are defined. Harman would have us subordinate scholarly research to agendas set elsewhere, by politicians and other powerful interests, but I argue that such a vision would turn geographers into mere technicians. A healthier role for the discipline is for geographers to seek ways of asserting intellectual leadership and of shaping social agendas along more humane and socially just lines.     

Metropolitan growth and labor markets in Mexico

The objective of this paper is to examine the main changes in the metropolitan labor markets associated with economic restructuring in Mexico during the late 1980s and beginning of the 1990s. The analysis refers particularly to the four largest metropoles of the country, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Puebla, looking for common characteristics in their emergent employment structures now strongly differentiated in terms of rewards, stability in employment relations and conditions of access to jobs. The analysis reveals that largest metropolitan areas have been the most profoundly affected by the economic restructuring resulting from globalization, through a rapid de-industrialization and the expansion of the tertiary sector. Metropolitan labor markets in Mexico, at the time that show signs of social polarization in the formal sector, put in evidence a general process of precarization – less labor stability, replacement of permanent by part-time jobs, and increasing subcontracting –, segmentation of the labor force, and an increasing informal conditions of economic activities with small businesses and unskilled, temporarly and poorly paid jobs. The labor force segmentation and its more precarious and casual conditions are mostly explained by the impact of recent neoliberal policies, and recurrent economic crisis during the 1980s and 1990s which highly contributes to social inequality.     

Research on the effect estimation of seismic safety evaluation

IntroductionItisdefinitelystipulatedintheLawofthePeople'sRepublicofChinaonProtectingagainstandMitigatingEarthquakeDisastersthattheseismicsafetyevaluationmustbemadeformajorprojects(includinglifelineprojects)and,accordingtotheresultsobtained,theseismicresistancerequirementsshouldbedetermined.Thenecessityofseismicsafetyevaluationhasbeenrecog-nizedgradually,butthetopicontheeffectofsafetyevaluationhasnotbeenreferredmuch.Gener-allyspeaking,althoughmostpeopleapprovethesocialeffectofsafetyevaluatio…     

甘南高原乡村社会固有脆弱性及其影响因素

开展社会固有脆弱性研究不仅有助于了解区域社会系统的可持续发展状态,更有助于寻求提高社会系统适应能力的恰当策略。通过构建乡村社会固有脆弱性分析框架和评价指标体系,并以甘南高原为研究区,在分析乡村社会固有脆弱性特征的基础上识别了其关键影响因子。结果表明:①甘南高原乡村社会固有脆弱性呈"梭型"分异,其中,高、中、低脆弱性乡镇分别占18.95%、47.37%、33.68%。②社会固有脆弱性存在明显的区域差异性,从农区-半农半牧区-牧区、高山峡谷区-山地丘陵区-山原区,社会固有脆弱性趋于增加;同时,随着少数民族聚居度降低、经济发展水平升高,社会固有脆弱性趋于降低。③社会固有脆弱性在空间上呈"北高南低"的不均衡分布,敏感性呈"中间高四周低"的集聚分布,适应能力呈相对均衡的"碎片化"分布。④气温、生育结构、民族结构、住房安全性、社会弱势群体比重、经济条件、信息可得性和参保比例是影响社会固有脆弱性的关键因子。最后,提出相应的对策建议。     

固体潮校正计算方法的改进

Excel被认为是当前功能强大、使用方便的电子表格软件。从1993年起,Excel就开始支持Visual Basic for Applications（VBA）．VBA是一款功能强大的工具,它使Excel形成了独立的编程环境。重力固体潮校正的计算改进前,重力计算中都是通过basic语言的程序设计在dos环境下来完成的。在大量应用windows的今天,dos的应用已经没有象windows那样普及。如果不能了解dos环境下的命令语句,根本就不能完成重力的计算工作。为此作者等对固体潮校正的计算进行改进,改进后达到了简单、高效的效果。     

“房桥合一”铁路客站抗震计算的快速高效多维虚拟激励法

针对"房桥合一"铁路客站节点数多、空间相互作用显著等特点,利用沿结构整体坐标系方向功率谱的表达式和合理谱强度因子的确定方法,提出能合理考虑地震激励输入角度变化的快速多维虚拟激励法,并以天津西站Ⅱ区作为工程案例,对利用快速多维虚拟激励法、时程响应分析法和已有虚拟激励法的计算结果进行比较。结果表明:三种算法的计算结果吻合较好,证明快速多维虚拟激励法的计算值是合理的;且与已有虚拟激励法相比、快速多维虚拟激励法的计算效率显著提高,更适合于"房桥合一"铁路客站的抗震计算。     

海洋地理信息系统理论基础及其关键技术研究

传统的海洋环境数据集成与共享存在共享模式单一、数据服务效果不明显等突出问题。随着云计算等技术的出现,数据共享模式发生了巨大的变化。提出基于云计算的海洋环境数据共享体系,通过基础设施即服务（infrastructure as a service,IaaS）、数据资源即服务（data as a service,DaaS）及软件即服务（software as a service,SaaS）实现海洋环境数据共享模式的转变。在海洋环境数据云中,用户既是数据的使用者也是数据的提供者,通过数据发布与发现、数据需求发布与发现等功能,解决数据共享中“用户-数据”之间的矛盾,并激励普通海洋科研工作者贡献自己的数据,保障数据资源有效、可持续利用。以南海海域为实验区,以表层漂流浮标数据及中尺度涡旋数据为实验数据,构建了原型系统验证该方法。     

智慧城市中的大数据

智慧城市的功能之一是构建可智能感知的、泛在化的空间信息服务,并将这些服务按需求进行组合提供灵活的服务,这就要求空间信息服务能更好地适应不断变化的地理上下文环境。设计了上下文感知的空间信息服务的语义模型,该模型扩展了OWL-S本体,增加了地理上下文类、上下文前提条件类、上下文效果类和上下文绑定类以支持地理上下文和地理上下文适应性,并使用智能规划技术和语义增强技术,将上下文感知的空间信息服务组合转化为智能规划的求解过程,提高了服务组合精度。最后通过智慧旅游验证了上下文感知的空间信息服务组合方法的可行性和有效性。