Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Geospatial inquiries begin with describing the spatial distribution of
objects, fields, and events. Performing spatial interaction tasks (e.g., seeing
how air pollution diffuses, how water flows along streams, and where food
comes from) is important to understanding how places are interconnected.
Engaging in spatial relationships inquiry encourages one to make connections
across domains (interdisciplinary thinking) and better understand cross-cutting
concepts of sustainability, ―improving the quality of human life while living
within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems‖ (IUCN, 1991). Spatial
comparisons inquiry is instrumental in revealing place-specific characteristics.
Temporal relationships inquiry is appropriate for investigating the intrinsically
dynamic nature of sustainability of the biosphere.
C
ONCLUSION
In this chapter I propose that CBOs can use GIS to (a) help build different
forms of community capital; (b) assess community sustainability as an
interaction and a composite of different forms of capital; and (c) explore
directional (inter-generational equity), distributional (intra-generational
equity), and relational (integrative) aspects of sustainability. That is, one can
better understand the dynamic society-nature relationship and monitor
progress toward sustainability by applying spatial thinking to the capital
framework in the GIS platform. The chapter illustrates the value of geographic
information in community development and reviews how economic theories
and geospatial tools can help foster community sustainability.
CBOs will develop more environmentally-informed programs as public
awareness of sustainability increases. The trend will accelerate with an
improved ability to monitor the features and functions of natural ecosystems.
The use of remotely sensed imagery or sensor networks in the field will allow
us to monitor conditions of vegetation, chlorophyll in the ocean, climatic
conditions, flooding, and water contamination in a timely fashion. Increasingly
user-friendly geospatial tools will help us monitor these changes in an easy-to-
understand manner. With further developments in spatial data infrastructure
(Williamson et al., 2004) including the recent climate initiatives by the White
House (2014), this future scenario will be realized soon.
