Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
itoring compliance with environmental laws is a major concern of environmental managers, as are
preparation and review of environmental impact statements. Because environmental phenomena
characterize different parts of Earth's surface, they are an important field of study for geographers.
Geo-graphy programs in colleges and universities offer a range of environmentally related course-
work. Also, expertise in cartography, geographic information systems, air photo interpretation, re-
mote sensing, and/or spatial data analysis greatly enhances career prospects in this field.
Health Services Planner
These planners seektooptimize delivery ofandaccess tohealth services. Someofthese professionals
analyze and recommend locations for clinics, hospitals, and emergency response units. Others help
to decide how to allocate specialized services (such as coronary care and burn units) among existing
hospitals and health facilities. Still others analyze patterns of disease and health risks with a view to
geographically targeting outreach and education programs aimed at prevention. While most of these
plannershavedegreesinpublichealth,manyalsoturntogeographyprogramstoacquirecritical skills
in cartography, geographic information systems, and spatial statistics.
Location Analyst
An old proverb says that the three most important determinants of the success of a business are loc-
ation, location, and location. Although this is not literally true for every kind of business, the right
location is often the difference between success and failure. Location analysts identify the factors that
most affect (for better or worse) the success of a particular business, evaluate the viability of pro-
spective sites with respect to those factors, and recommend a site to decision-makers. Many large
(and not-so-large) retail chains maintain in-house think tanks of location analysts to help make all-
important decisions regarding the locations of future stores. Numerous generic consulting firms do
the same. Location analysis is an important component of economic geography courses.
Market Analyst
No, not the stock market, but instead, the prospective buyers of particular goods and services. People
have different tendencies to purchase different things. Such variation may be a function of age, cul-
ture, race, ethnicity, income, or some other factor that may vary geographically. Determining the geo-
graphy of the market for particular products and allocating merchandise accordingly is the job of the
market analyst. You think this isn't important? Some time ago, a nationwide retailer (that shall remain
nameless) sold decent merchandise, but nevertheless went belly up, in part because of poor market
