Geographic Information System (GIS) and its Application in the Social Sciences using the Example of the Swiss Environmental Survey

Abstract

To date, spatial context has only been taken into account very limitedly by German research in social sciences. As Geographic information systems (GIS) reduce the effort of collecting and analyzing spatial data substantially, they allow exploring a whole range of research questions. They facilitate the creation of visually appealing cartographic products that may help uncovering spatial patterns, and the computation of space-related predictors that can be used for further analyses. The first part of this article covers the topic of data acquisition as well as basic analytic functions and output capabilities of GIS. Afterwards, these are illustrated in a study of environmental justice based on the Swiss Environmental Survey.