The Scientific Method and Spatial Technologies

1
The Scientific Method and Spatial Technologies
2
Science
To seek knowledge Attempts to understand the
physical, social, cultural, economic, and
political surroundings truth
3
Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

• Inductive reasoning
• Utilizes the properties of a large number of
  observations in order to induce the properties of
  all observations
• The Universal Law
• Negative instances are used to disprove the
  Universal Law

4
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

• Deductive reasoning
• Predict the properties of a specific statement
  based on rules
• a valid argument in which it is impossible to
  assert the premises and to deny the conclusion
  without thereby contradicting oneself

5
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

• Combined the concepts of induction and deduction
  to form what is know referred to as the
  scientific method

6
Scientific Method

• Structure of the tasks of
• Research question/hypothesis generation
• experimentation
• inference
• In other words
• formulation of a problem
• collection of data through observation/experimenta
  tion
• formulation and testing hypotheses

7
Scientific Method
8
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Positivism
• Refinement to the scientific method involving
  empirical research
• rigorous application of the scientific method
• scientific knowledge acquired through facts and
  proven knowledge

9
Kant (1724-1804)

• Criticized empiricism (Bacons methods)
• stated that objects have no existence outside
  human thoughts
• Initiated the notion that methods exist other
  than the scientific method

10
Todays research methods

• Realism
• Instrumentalism
• Post-modernism
• Anarchist view voodoo, poetry, astrology

11
Process

• Identify a topic
• Look at the literature determine what questions
  remain unanswered
• Pick a research question that isnt too narrow or
  too broad
• Determine a working hypothesis
• Establish if the question can be answered
• What kind of information do you need to answer
  the question
• Create a methodology for answering the question

12
The Scientific Method

• Gain an in-depth knowledge about the topic of
  interest (go to the library and read!)
• Formulate research question
• Develop a hypothesis that helps answer the
  question
• Conduct an experiment that supports or disproves
  the hypothesis controlled environment
• Analyze the results and check for experimental
  and logical error (Discussion)
• Apply experimental results to the hypothesis
  (Conclusion)

13
Research Question

• A question with an answer that is yet unknown
• What is the cure for cancer?
• Generally, the question is more narrowly focused
  so it can be answered
• What would the traffic patterns be on game date
  if a new stadium were built at a specific
  location?

14
Hypothesis

• an assertion subject to verification or proof
• a proposition stated as a basis for argument or
  reasoning

Use this as a starting point for answering your
research question
There would be more congestion on the primary
streets during a game
15
What type of information do I need to answer the
research question?

• The research question, "What impact has
  deregulation had on commercial airline safety?,"
  will obviously require certain types of
  information
• statistics on airline crashes before and after
• statistics on other safety problems before and
  after
• information about maintenance practices before
  and after
• information about government safety requirements
  before and after

16
Research question on traffic congestion

• Street network
• Normal traffic patterns
• A model to estimate traffic patterns if 5,000
  cars were added to the existing traffic patterns

17
Methodology

• Determine the study area extent of the study
• Determine the data you would need
• Determine your method of analysis
• How to analyze the data to answer the questions,
  could be statistical (e.g., regression) or
  modeling (e.g., traffic model), or qualitative
  (e.g., surveys)

18
GIS pipeline
19
(No Transcript)
20
GIS questions (summary)

• Location based - What is at?
• Object based - Where is ?
• Patterns - Which things are related ?
• Models - What if ?
• Trends - What has changed since ?

21
What maps can do
Simultaneous expression of info
represented Relative location Communication
devices
22
What maps cannot do

• Static - so human and physical processes cannot
  be displayed directly
• They examine only the result of the spatial
  process not the process itself
• Maps can be visually misleading

23
Static representations of a volcanic process
24
Another static representation Spatial Pattern
25
Misleading
26
Can be done with

• Scale, Projections, Symbols
• Map Generalization, Color, Classification
• Done for
• Advertising, planning agencies, political
  propaganda, unintentionally

27
Example (total population)
9 classes (natural breaks) graduated color
9 classes (natural breaks) random colors
28
3 classes (equal interval) graduated colors
3 classes (equal area) graduated colors
29
Definition of Spatial Analysis

• manipulation of spatial data to gain insight to
  geographic processes
• to make predictions about spatial patterns

We care both about WHERE something happened as
well as WHAT happened
30
Spatial analysis forms

• Points (vector)
• Lines (vector)
• Areas (vector or tessellation)
• Surfaces (tessellation)

31
Points

• Quadrat analysis
• counting the number of points per quad
• Distance measures
• measuring the distance to all points from a
  single point
• Nearest neighbor
• who is the nearest neighbor and how far away are
  they

32
Distribution of points
33
Lines

• Sinuosity
• how many curves in the line
• Tree branching
• hydrologic stream network identification
• Traveling salesman
• what is the most efficient travel route to stop
  at X number of points
• Shortest Path Analysis
• what is the shortest distance along a path

34
Polygons

• Area - calculation of area
• Perimeter - calculation of perimeter
• Shape - mathematical identification of shape
• Fragmentation - how broken apart are similar
  regions
• Autocorrelation - how related are neighboring
  polygons because they are neighbors

35
Pattern of polygons
36
Surfaces

• Profiles - cross-sectional view of a hill
• Slope - steepness of a hill
• Aspect - direction of the hill
• Summary height information - overall area
  description
• Trend surface analysis - systematic changes that
  extend smoothly and predictably from one edge to
  the other

37
Aspect

• Direction of the slope
• Uses of aspect
• biological
• planning

38
(No Transcript)
39
(No Transcript)