Abstract
This article explores the role of mathematical modeling within human geography. The focus is thematic in nature providing an overview of a highly diverse literature. The approaches to modeling in geography are organized as a typology that classifies models according to genre and applications. Key methodological challenges that distinguish geographic modeling from that practiced in other social science disciplines are discussed. These include issues related to spatial dependence, changes in geographical scale as well as the question of local contextual effects, and their treatment in geographical models. This article ends with some comments about the future prospects for geographical modeling.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences: Second Edition |
| Publisher | Elsevier Inc. |
| Pages | 785-790 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780080970875 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780080970868 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 26 2015 |
Keywords
- Deterministic models
- Geocomputation
- Human geography
- Modeling
- Optimization
- Simulation
- Spatial analysis
- Spatial autocorrelation
- Spatial scale
- Stochastic models
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)