Spatial Literacy

Convenors: Dr Robert Abrahart and Jim Nixon (University of Nottingham)

Contact Emails: bob.abrahart@nottingham.ac.uk & jim.nixon@nottingham.ac.uk

Session Abstract:
Increasingly, we hear the phrase spatial literacy. However, there appears to be little consensus on what precisely is meant by this concept. Simon Jenkins, writing in The Guardian (16th November, 2007) refers to the collapse in public knowledge of geography. He describes the subject in terms of a popular, and ultimately colloquial view point, connected with a sense of place and knowledge about the physical world. He also acknowledges that this is only one side of the proverbial coin. The ability to problem solve within the geographical domain, to define relationships and infer explanations is also involved. But how does either notion map on to spatial literacy: are we talking about skills, knowledge, cognitive ability or some combination of all three? The geographical community does not disagree that spatial literacy matters. It should be a major concern of geographers at all levels of research and teaching. Yet unless we can answer or at least agree on some specific points, measuring and testing spatial literacy will be difficult at best and meaningless at worst. The absence of an agreed definition also makes it difficult for other disciplines to engage with the question since there is no common framework or model to work from or with. The development of a usable definition is particularly critical for geography, geographers and our students. The purpose of this session is to pose the question: What is spatial literacy, why does it matter and how do we test and develop it in others or indeed ourselves?

Geographies of social enterprise (sponsored by SCRG and GIScRG)

Convenors: Laura Fry, Research Associate, UnLtd
Lea Esterhuizen, Head of Research, UnLtd
Dr Mordechai (Muki) Haklay, UCL Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering

Contact Emails: m.haklay@ucl.ac.uk & LauraFry@unltd.org.uk

Session Abstract:
Social enterprise and social entrepreneurship have grown in quantity and strength in the last decade in the UK.  Positioned within ‘Third Sector’ social enterprises are characterised by their business-like approach to social action and have grown in the UK under New Labour.  The relevance of social enterprise to Geography has previously been by-passed by particular discourses that debate the political-economic and socio-economic nature of non-state, non-commercial organisations - namely volunteer or non-profit organisations.  This work helps to define and map the landscape of the Third sector but is yet to give adequate attention to organisations and individuals who use their entrepreneurial ideas to deliver social change while aiming to be financially sustainable.

There is a need for more social and cultural geographers to examine the nature and emergence of social enterprise/entrepreneurship in the UK.    Whilst some work has explored the interrelationships between people, place and volunteering (Milligan, 2007), work on social enterprise/entrepreneurship in this field is scarce.  Social entrepreneurs identify social need at the local, national and global scales; generate interest from a variety of social, cultural, economic and political spheres; and create tangible/intangible social impacts on individuals, communities, and cultures through their encounters with people, environment and place. 

For social and cultural geography, social entrepreneurs not only present the opportunity to revive long-standing debates over agency, community, citizenship, space and place but also to make contributions to recent work on mobility, diasporic geographies, geographies of enchantment and especially to rethink the links between modes of economic activity and the creation of social goods.

This session aims to move current debates in geography, e.g. within geographies of volunteerism, forward by looking at individuals as drivers of social change from a new perspective.   This is also pertinent given that social entrepreneurship/enterprise is fast becoming the major force of change in UK society.  This session stems from a collaborative research between UCL and a leading supporter of social entrepreneurs (UnLtd), and we want to create a forum for debate about the emergence of and contribution to be made by geographies of social enterprise.     

We invite proposals from geographers to present papers on:
•    Geographical patterns of social entrepreneurial activities
•    The role of Social Enterprise, Voluntarism and Charities in shaping places
•    The concepts of space within the third sector, and how its geometry changes as result of social enterprise
•    The merits and demerits of mapping social impact
•    The relevance of non-spatial mapping to better understand social entrepreneurial activity.

Uncertainty and Inference in Historical GIS

Convenors: Richard Healey and Humphrey Southall, Dept. of Geography, University of Portsmouth

Contact Email: Richard.Healey@port.ac.uk & Humphrey.Southall@port.ac.uk

Session Abstract:
Historical GIS is a developing sub-field at the interface between substantive quantitative work in historical geography and evolving theories of spatio-temporal GIS. However, a number of obstacles must be overcome before potential synergies between these two areas can be fully realised.

Among these are a range of theoretical, methodological and substantive questions that need to be explored more fully. Examples include dealing with imprecise or rapidly changing geographical units or locations for which data are available, data comparability over extended timespans, uncertainty in chronologies of events, sporadic spatio-temporal data coverage and the related problems of utilising GIS methods to make inferences about past economic or social processes, based on very limited or unreliable archival sources. This session aims to provide a forum to discuss both theoretical issues and substantive case studies, either from the UK or further afield.