Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

Introduction
Pages 7-18

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 7...
... Yet bringing the analytical strengths of the geographical sciences to bear on the storm -- situating it in the context of a set of evolving human and environmental circumstances near and far -- is essential to understanding the larger causes and consequences FIGURE 1 Image of Hurricane Katrina on August 28, 2005, of Katrina and to making effective plans for future from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MO­ disasters. The perspective adopted by the geographical DIS)
From page 8...
... Postal Service, damage data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. processes,1 rather than simply the physical storm itself, relationships could help residents and decision makers made the Katrina disaster what it was.
From page 9...
... Also responsible was ing, deductive analysis drawing on sociospatial data) a long-term commitment to agricultural development in the Mississippi River basin, which has involved to provide insight into the forces that produce events massive hydroengineering projects and activities (e.g., such as Hurricane Katrina and to understand their FIGURE 3 Mapping population changes for counties along a swath of the Gulf Coast illustrates broader spatial patterns of move­ ment.
From page 10...
... All of these matters raise fundamentally geographical questions. Drawing upon the four core concepts described through How are human and environmental systems linked, the example of Hurricane Katrina, empirical work in the geographical sciences focuses on documenting, 2The adjective geospatial is increasingly used to refer to data analyzing, and explaining (1)
From page 11...
... The term spatially explicit data; investigation of the relationship geodesign has recently emerged as a useful umbrella for between large-scale processes and local or regional the use of geographical data and tools in support of design.4 Moreover, the geographical sciences hold the outcomes; and landscape analysis. key to a vision of planning that is based more on sound evidence than on judgment.
From page 12...
... . Whether enabled by new technologies or not, the col- cause they promote understanding of how phenomena lection, analysis, and representation of spatial data are are related to one another in particular places and across of central importance to the geographical sciences be- the surface of the Earth.
From page 13...
... . The land-use and land-cover change in different regions geographical sciences, by contrast, frequently focus have shown that population growth and poverty canon the circumstances and comparative characteristics not alone explain the changing landscape; economic of individual places and regions, and then seek to opportunities and institutional factors need to be develop broader generalizations by exploring what considered as well (Lambin et al., 2001)
From page 14...
... The geograPhical scieNces aNd socieTY The importance of the geographical sciences in the 21st century becomes clear when one considers the extent to which many of the central challenges of our time are tied to changes unfolding in the spatial organization and character of the peoples, places, landscapes, and environments found on the surface of the planet. Earth has always been dynamic -- constantly in flux as physical systems and human societies evolve (Turner et al., 1990a)
From page 15...
... Geographical platforms such as Microsoft Virtual Earth and Google Earth are at the forefront of this development. These developments heighten the importance of geographical investigation -- both to harness the flood of new geographical information in productive ways and to explore the possibilities and limitations of the information and ideas coming from the rapidly expanding community of "neogeographers" (nonspecialists involved in the collection and assessment of locational data using geographical platforms and technologies)
From page 16...
... The questions will be written in a clear, compelThe massive, rapid changes unfolding on Earth's surface ling way and will be supported by text and figures that summarize provide a logical starting point for considering strategic research progress to date and outline future challenges. directions for the geographical sciences, for there is
From page 17...
... Assessing the im pacts of those changes requires looking at the impacts of Promoting sustainability requires addressing questions shifting environmental and resource vulnerabilities and that probe the geographical dimensions of population evolving demographic, economic, and social patterns. change, resource scarcity, and health: Developing effective adaptation and mitigation strategies necessitates improved understandings, and better visual • How and where will 10 billion people live?
From page 18...
... The order in which questions that are indicative of more focused research they are presented reflects a movement from overarch- initiatives that could contribute substantially to the ing issues of environmental change and sustainability effort to address the larger question. The report then to matters that bear on particular changes unfolding turns to Part III, which considers the innovations that in the social and technological arenas.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.