Automated Geography

Analytical methods and computer technology for spatial analysis have advanced rapidly. Geographers can now consider a general form of automated geography which integrates all of the new techniques into an analytical whole. Computer cartography, computer graphics, digital remote sensing, geographic information systems, spatial statistics, and quantitative spatial modeling can be combined eclectically with traditional manual techniques to address geographic problems that are too large and complex for manual treatment alone. Small systems are widely available to facilitate small, less complex problems. Automation can assist in all forms of geography—scientific and humanistic, nomothetic and idiographic, basic and applied—but its adoption is likely to be highest among applied scientists. The immediate challenge is to prepare for a major shift toward computer instruction and automated geography in the late 1980s. Long term effects will include improved contributions by geographers to national and international policy analyses, a greater emphasis on team-work and sharing, stronger ties with other disciplines, and a generally more viable discipline.