How does thinking spatially unlock the true power of GIS and transform everyday problem-solving?
Every tool is designed to solve a problem. Sharp things cut, heavy things hammer, and pointy things hold stuff together. GIS is a tool with a problem-solving purpose as well: to solve geographic problems.
Geographers needed a way to analyze and solve location-based problems, so they created GIS as a problem-solving toolkit to address geographic questions. Today, many different fields use GIS, but the questions that it helps answer are still fundamentally geographic. So, to get the most out of your GIS, think like a geographer.
Thinking like a geographer is just about memorizing capital cities or knowing obscure facts for trivia night.
Think Spatially
Thinking like a geographer means seeing the world through a spatial lens, recognizing patterns, relationships, and connections based on location. When you start to see (or imagine) maps in everything, you’re thinking like a geographer.
When you start to see (or imagine) maps in everything, you’re thinking like a geographer.
Consider a recent decision you made, big or small. How did location or spatial factors influence your choice?
Geography affects you every single day. It encompasses the logistics that bring you cereal for breakfast, the sensors that tell you when to grab an umbrella, and the real-time traffic updates that help you steer clear of traffic jams. Think about how often you make decisions based on location. Geography plays a role in answering questions like these:
- What’s the fastest way to get downtown during rush hour?
- Where’s the best place to open a new clothing store?
- What restaurants are within walking distance of my hotel?
- Which neighborhood has the best schools?
- Why is cancer mortality higher in some neighborhoods than others?
- How is climate change contributing to the distribution of this bird species?
- Where will traffic congestion be worse in ten years based on population trends?
Geographers and GIS professionals ask these kinds of spatial questions every day. GIS helps them figure out the answers by enabling them to identify, characterize, question, analyze, visualize, explain, and finally apply their knowledge of patterns, distributions, and relationships.
GIS and Spatial Thinking
You don’t need to be a geographer to think like one. But you do need to think spatially to take full advantage of GIS.
- GIS is a powerful problem-solving tool, specifically designed for geographic challenges.
- Thinking like a geographer means adopting a "spatial lens," focusing on location-based patterns and relationships.
- Everyday decisions are often influenced by geography, making spatial thinking a vital skill.
The First Law of Geography, coined by Waldo Tobler, states that "everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things." This core principle underpins much of spatial analysis.
A way of viewing the world that emphasizes patterns, relationships, and connections based on location, rather than isolated facts or simple memorization.
What is the primary purpose of GIS, according to the lesson?
Recognizing the spatial nature of analysis
Geographers recognize that the world is interconnected, but a core principle of geography is that places and features that are closer together tend to be more related to one another than those that are farther apart. This idea helps explain why location matters in business, transportation, public health, and more.
When analyzing problems with GIS, several spatial factors come into play. Here are a few key factors to help you start thinking spatially:
- Density: If you’re an urban planner, the more houses an area has (the greater density), the more potential riders a public transit system has.
- Sinuosity: Maybe you’ve noticed how winding streets force you to drive slowly. Urban planners design curvy subdivisions to reduce speeding and create safer pedestrian areas.
- Connectivity: Remote towns with poor road access often struggle with economic growth because goods, services, and people have a harder time moving in and out.
- Pattern change: As farmland and open space turn into housing developments and warehouses, local food production and wildlife habitat may pay a price.
- Movement: Hurricanes, migration patterns, and traffic all depend on movement over time. For example, meteorologists track hurricane paths to predict where the storms will go next, potentially saving lives.
- Shape: A developer looking to build a house may prefer a square-shaped lot over an awkwardly shaped one for easier construction and design.
- Size: Large farms need bigger parcels of land for efficient production. Plus, large farm equipment doesn’t work well on tiny fields.
- Isolation: A store surrounded by vacant businesses may struggle because of a lack of foot traffic.
- Adjacency: If a large industrial data center is built next to your house, your property value may take a hit.
Urban planners often use Sinuosity (winding streets) to design safer neighborhoods by reducing vehicle speeds and encouraging pedestrian activity. It's a spatial solution to a human problem!
Want to go deeper? How movement data saves lives.
The spatial factor of Movement is critical in meteorology. When a hurricane forms, meteorologists don't just look at its current location; they analyze its trajectory, speed, and potential changes in direction over time. GIS is indispensable here, allowing them to overlay real-time weather data with layers showing population density, critical infrastructure, and evacuation routes. By modeling the hurricane's movement, they can predict impact zones, issue targeted warnings, and guide emergency services, directly saving countless lives and protecting property.
Understanding Pattern change is vital for environmental conservation. For example, tracking the conversion of farmland into housing developments helps researchers predict impacts on local ecosystems, water quality, and food production, informing sustainable land-use policies.
Which spatial factor is most relevant when an urban planner designs curvy streets to reduce speeding and create safer pedestrian areas?
All these factors have one thing in common: They require you to see, acknowledge, and question spatial locations, patterns, and distributions. Thinking spatially helps you ask better GIS questions and get more meaningful answers.
Getting better at spotting spatial patterns takes practice. Here are some tips to get you started:
Practice spotting spatial patterns in your daily life. The more you consciously observe, the better you'll become at spatial thinking.
- Look at maps. The more you study maps, the easier it is to spot patterns. This includes digital maps on your phone, physical maps, or even conceptual maps.
- Notice how traffic flows. Be aware of which roads get backed up at certain times of day, and try to understand why.
- Study aerial and satellite images. These images give you a bird’s-eye view of landscapes and how they change over time. Look for land use patterns, infrastructure, and natural features.
Practice Makes Perfect
Seeing spatial patterns takes practice. You need to read maps, study satellite images, and most important, practice creating, querying, and analyzing spatial data with GIS. The more you do, the sooner you’ll become a very spatial person. (See what I did there?)
Think about a local issue in your community (e.g., traffic congestion, public service access, environmental concern). How would you begin to approach it with a spatial lens, considering factors like density, connectivity, or pattern change to understand the problem better?
How has your understanding of "geography" evolved after exploring spatial thinking and its application in GIS?