The Use Of Geographical Information Systems In Socio Economic Studies

Geographical information systems (GIS) have found wide and growing applications, as digital remote-sensing data and computer technology have become more sophisticated, more easily available and less expensive. This report describes preliminary research undertaken by NRI into how GIS might be used to identify and potentially describe the non-physical, human environment in which people make decisions relating to resource allocation. A number of general issues concerning the availability of suitable data sets, are highlighted in case studies. Recommendations are made about how data can be made more amenable to this type of application, and the criteria that should be applied in assessing the feasibility of projects involving the use of GIS in socio-economic studies.

This second edition of Geographic Information Systems builds on the strengths of the first, and incorporates important recent advances in GIS development and major new socioeconomic datasets including new census data. Martin presents an accessible introduction to the history, principles and techniques of GIS, with a unique focus on socioeconomic applications. This non-technical volume addresses the needs of students and professionals who must understand and use GIS for the first time.

To date, no one volume in the Innovations in GIS series has been given over to solely highlighting the use of up-to-date GIS-based techniques in a range of socio-economic applications. This monograph redresses this gap. The book begins with a short introductory chapter on the fundamental principles of GIS, followed by an examination of recen

This chapter has shown a small sample of GIS applications in economic devel- ment. GIS is a powerful tool for data analysis and presentation, and the economic development rami cations are truly signi cant. The speed at which data and stra- gies can be coordinated is clearly changing the way economic developers approach their job. There are a number of important trends that are likely to result in GIS becoming more pervasive in the economic development community. These include declining costs of GIS software, increased computing power, and the growth of Web-based GIS applications. There also has been increase in GIS skills among economic development professionals. References Bastian, L. (2002). Getting the best from the web. Area Development Site and Facility Planning, March 1–7. Accessed 5 September 2008. Batheldt, H. (2005). Geographies of production: growth regimes in spatial perspective (II) – kno- edge creation and growth in clusters. Progress in Human Geography, 29(2), 204–216. Bathelt,H.,Malmberg,A.,Maskell,P.(2004). Clustersandknowledge: localbuzz,globalpipelines and the process of knowledge creation. Progress in Human Geography, 28(1), 31–56. Bernthal, M., Regan, T. (2004). The economic impact of a NASCAR racetrack on a rural com- nity and region. Sports Marketing Quarterly, 13(1), 26–34. Blackwell, M., Cobb, S. Weinbert, D. (2002). The economic impact of educational institutions: Issues and methodology. Economic Development Quarterly, 16(1), 88–95. Blair, J. (1995). Local Economic Development, Analysis and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Quantifying the social and economic value that geospatial information contributes to modern society is a complex task. To construct reliable and consistent valuation measures requires an understanding of the sequence of processes that starts with data acquisition, and leads to decision-makers’ choices that impact society. GEOValue explores each step in this complex value chain from the viewpoint of domain experts spanning disciplines that range from the technical side of data acquisition and management to the social sciences that provide the framework to assess the benefit to society. The book is intended to provide foundational understanding of the techniques and complexities of each step in the process. As such it is intended to be assessable to a reader without prior training in data acquisition systems, information systems, or valuation methods. In addition, a number of case studies are provided that demonstrate the use of geospatial information as a critical input for evaluation of policy pertaining to a wide range of application areas, such as agricultural and environmental policy, natural catastrophes, e-government and transportation systems.

The second edition of a bestseller, Quantitative Methods and Socio-Economic Applications in GIS (previously titled Quantitative Methods and Applications in GIS) details applications of quantitative methods in social science, planning, and public policy with a focus on spatial perspectives. The book integrates GIS and quantitative (computational) methods and demonstrates them in various policy-relevant socio-economic applications with step-by-step instructions and datasets. The book demonstrates the diversity of issues where GIS can be used to enhance the studies related to socio-economic issues and public policy. See What's New in the Second Edition: All project instructions are in ArcGIS 10.2 using geodatabase datasets New chapters on regionalization methods and Monte Carlo simulation Popular tasks automated as a convenient toolkit: Huff Model, 2SFCA accessibility measure, regionalization, Garin-Lowry model, and Monte Carlo based spatial simulation Advanced tasks now implemented in user-friendly programs or ArcGIS: centrality indices, wasteful commuting measure, p-median problem, and traffic simulation Each chapter has one subject theme and introduces the method (or a group of related methods) most relevant to the theme. While each method is illustrated in a special case of application, it can also be used to analyze different issues. For example, spatial regression is used to examine the relationship between job access and homicide patterns; systems of linear equations are analyzed to predict urban land use patterns; linear programming is introduced to solve the problem of wasteful commuting and allocate healthcare facilities; and Monte Carlo technique is illustrated in simulating urban traffic. The book illustrates the range of computational methods and covers common tasks and major issues encountered in a spatial environment. It provides a platform for learning technical skills and quantitative methods in the context of addressing real-world problems, giving you instant access to the tools to resolve major socio-economic issues.

One of the ongoing problems researchers in geography and GIS have is studying data that is inherently spatial over a long period of time. One of the main hurdles they have to overcome is the study of groups of people classified by their socio-economic status (one of the main means for governments, companies and research organisations to group together segments of the population). The amount of data collected by governments, business and research organisations has increased markedly in recent years. Geographic Information Systems have been more widely used than ever before for the storage and analysis of this information. Most GIS can handle this information spatially rather than temporally, and have difficulty with the management of socio-economic time series, which relate to spatial units. Accordingly, this book covers the issues ranging from the formal model to differentiate aspects of spatio-temporal data, through philosophical and fundamental reconsideration of time and space to the development of practical solutions to the problem. This book draws together an interdisciplinary group of scientists in the field of geography, computing, surveying and philosophy. It presents the definitive sourcebook on temporal GIS as applied to socio-economic units.

"This book tackles topics related to development of Geographic Information in terms of the technologies available for retrieving, managing, and analyzing geographical data"--Provided by publisher.

This book presents most recent research studies on mapping and spatial analysis of socio-economic and environmental indicators used by various national and international contributors to regional development projects. It gathers the best contributions to the 1st International Conference on Mapping and Spatial Analysis of Socio-Economic and Environmental Indicators for the Local and Regional Sustainable Development. The conference was held in southern Tunisia, Tataouine in March 2015.The research studies focused on generating and analyzing indicators in various domains of Agriculture, Energy, Industry, Tourism, Transport, Urban Planning, Exploitation of Natural Resources, Infrastructure, Health, Environment, Education, Information and Communication Technologies, Social Affairs and Employability, and Culture and Sport. Socio-economic and environmental indicators are important in regional development plans and strategies as they allow to observe and analyze changes in the economic growth and to measure their impact on the environment and on social networks/daily life of citizens. On the basis of well-defined geomatic approaches, and particularly, through sophisticated digital mapping and spatio-temporal analyses, authors focused on retrieving indicators to evaluate the exploitation rate of natural resources, intensity of the energy consumption in various economic sector, net migratory flows, quality checking of the air in urban areas, adaptation to climate change, and vulnerability of the coastal domain and risk of marine submersion due to sea-level rise. The book is of interest not only to investors and contributors to regional development projects, but also to all relevant policy makers.