Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Tables -- Introduction -- Part 1 -- 1. Toward Critical Data Studies -- 2. Big Data ... Why (Oh Why?) This Computational Social Science? -- Part 2 -- 3. Smaller and Slower Data in an Era of Big Data -- 4. Reflexivity, Positionality, and Rigor in the Context of Big Data Research -- Part 3 -- 5. A Hybrid Approach to Geotweets -- 6. Geosocial Footprints and Geoprivacy Concerns -- 7. Foursquare in the City of Fountains -- Part 4 -- 8. Big City, Big Data -- 9. Framing Digital Exclusion in Technologically Mediated Urban Spaces -- Part 5 -- 10. Bringing the Big Data of Climate Change Down to Human Scale -- 11. Synergizing Geoweb and Digital Humanitarian Research -- Part 6 -- 12. Rethinking the Geoweb and Big Data -- Bibliography -- List of Contributors -- Index -- About Jim Thatcher -- About Josef Eckert -- About Andrew Shears

Thinking Big Data in Geography offers a practical state-of-the-field overview of big data as both a means and an object of research, with essays from prominent and emerging scholars such as Rob Kitchin, Renee Sieber, and Mark Graham. Part 1 explores how the advent of geoweb technologies and big data sets has influenced some of geography's major subdisciplines: urban politics and political economy, human-environment interactions, and geographic information sciences. Part 2 addresses how the geographic study of big data has implications for other disciplinary fields, notably the digital humanities and the study of social justice. The volume concludes with theoretical applications of the geoweb and big data as they pertain to society as a whole, examining the ways in which user-generated data come into the world and are complicit in its unfolding. The contributors raise caution regarding the use of spatial big data, citing issues of accuracy, surveillance, and privacy.

Thinking Geographically offers students and faculty alike an elegant, concise, and thorough overview of contemporary theoretical concerns in geography. Easily accessible to those unfamiliar with social theory, this volume "pushes the envelope" of understanding by sketching the contours of post-structuralist spatial thought, including such critical emerging topics as geographies of text, the body, money, and globalisation. Brief biographies of influential theorists demonstrate how ideas are embodied and personified. This volume is highly useful for courses in human geography, the history and status of the discipline, and will stand as a milestone in the discipline's conceptual understanding over the next decade or more." Barney Warf, Florida State University The last decade has seen Geography transformed by an astonishing range of cultural and philosophical concepts and approaches. Thinking Geographically is designed for students as an accessible and enjoyable introduction to this new landscape of geographical ideas. The book takes the reader through the history of geographic thought up to a survey of the present. Contemporary theory is then used to explore real world issues drawn from across the discipline of social, cultural, political and economic geography. Entertainingly written and packed with examples and with profiles of key theorists, the book is an ideal introduction for any student who wants to discover the potential of thinking geographically.

The first comprehensive treatment of data science as a new and powerful way to understand and manage human-environment interactions.

Our world is becoming ever more data-driven, transforming how business is conducted, governance enacted, and knowledge produced. Yet, the nature of data and the scope and implications of the changes taking place are not always clear. The Data Revolution is a must read for anyone interested in why data have become so important in the contemporary era. Thoroughly updated, including ten new chapters, the book provides an accessible and comprehensive: introduction to thinking conceptually about the nature of data and the field of critical data studies overview of big data, open data and data infrastructures analysis of the utility and value of big and open data for research, business, government and civil society assessment of the concerns and risks in a data-driven world and how to prevent and mitigate them.

By synthesizing scholarly work at the intersection of political ecology, digital geography, and science and technology studies, The Nature of Data analyzes how new digital technologies affect environments and their control.

Key Methods in Geography is the perfect introductory companion, providing an overview of qualitative and quantitative methods for human and physical geography. The fourth edition of this essential and accessible primer covers the breadth of the discipline and offer critical and contextual perspectives on research methods. New coverage takes account of newer technologies and practice, and 9 new chapters bring greater diversity of positionality and perspective to the volume, including decolonial methods, predicting, visualizing and modelling climate and environmental change, and writing up research. Case study examples, summaries and exercises have been included in each chapter to enable learning. This is vital reading for any student undertaking a Geography Methods module as well as a valuable resource for any student embarking on independent research as part of their degree.

The Routledge Handbook of Geospatial Technologies and Society provides a relevant and comprehensive reference point for research and practice in this dynamic field. It offers detailed explanations of geospatial technologies and provides critical reviews and appraisals of their application in society within international and multi-disciplinary contexts as agents of change. The ability of geospatial data to transform knowledge in contemporary and future societies forms an important theme running throughout the entire volume. Contributors reflect on the changing role of geospatial technologies in society and highlight new applications that represent transformative directions in society and point towards new horizons. Furthermore, they encourage dialogue across disciplines to bring new theoretical perspectives on geospatial technologies, from neurology to heritage studies. The international contributions from leading scholars and influential practitioners that constitute the Handbook provide a wealth of critical examples of these technologies as agents of change in societies around the globe. The book will appeal to advanced undergraduates and practitioners interested or engaged in their application worldwide.

We are in an age of big data where all of our everyday interactions and transactions generate data. Much of this data is spatial – it is collected some-where – and identifying analytical insight from trends and patterns in these increasing rich digital footprints presents a number of challenges. Whilst other books describe different flavours of Data Analytics in R and other programming languages, there are none that consider Spatial Data (i.e. the location attached to data), or that consider issues of inference, linking Big Data, Geography, GIS, Mapping and Spatial Analytics. This is a ‘learning by doing’ textbook, building on the previous book by the same authors, An Introduction to R for Spatial Analysis and Mapping. It details the theoretical issues in analyses of Big Spatial Data and developing practical skills in the reader for addressing these with confidence.

A exploration of the latest trend in technology and the impact it will have on the economy, science, and society at large.