Some Implications of the Commodification of Information and the Emerging Information Economy for Applied Geographical Analysis in the United Kingdom

This paper contains a consideration of some of the implications of the emerging information economy for quantitative geography. The vast increase in computer data bases creates exciting new prospects for applied analysis relevant to public policy and private organisations. An attempt is made to identify where these new opportunities are located, to discuss some of the reasons for previous failures, to exploit the intrinsic value of geographical analysis techniques, and to outline a research agenda for the future.