This week in class we began by discussing the course requirements and the three major fields that the course will revolve around: landscape ecology, crime analysis and health geography. It was emphasized that there are many connections between these fields, connections in that similar analytical methods can be used across many specific examples in each field of interest. Furthermore, Dr. Klinkenberg explained the importance of taking on a geographical perspective when addressing spatial problems, and how GIS applies to solving them. Important take aways from this lecture included:
- there is no 1:1 link between patterns and processes
- differentiating pattern from process is complicated
- the use of basic statistics can help you try and figure out the process (ex. nearest neighbour statistic, summary statistics)
- context is VERY important
*See LABS & TUTORIALS for this weeks tutorial summary (Tutorial 1).