QUANTITATIVE REVOLUTION merits and demerits .pptx

QUANTITATIVE REVOLUTION
IN GEOGRAPHY
Beyond Maps: A Mathematical Odyssey into the Heart of
Geographic Phenomena
PRESENTED BY
PRAKASH CHANDRA
ROLL NO – 43 (P.U)
UNIV. DEPT. OF
GEOGRAPHY

CONTENTS
1. QUANTITATIVE REVOLUTION : AN INTRODUCTION
2. QUANTITATIVE GEOGRAPHERS
3. OBJECTIVES
4. CRISIS IN GEOGRAPHY
5. QUANTITATIVE TOOL
6. ASSUMPTIONS
7. BASIS OF THE QUANTITATIVE REVOLUTION
8. CONTRIBUTIONS OF QUANTITATIVE REVOLUTION
9. METHODS USED IN Q.R
10. MODELS DEVELOPED UNDER Q.R
11. PHASES OF QUANTITATIVE REVOLUTION
12. PROS
13. CONS
14. CONCLUSION

Q.R : An Introduction
 The Quantitative revolution was a paradigm shift that sought to develop a more
rigorous and systematic methodology for the discipline of geography.
 It refers to the era in 1950s and 1960s, when the subject adjusted to a more scientific
approach.
 The term Quantification in geography refers to the adoption and application of various
numerical, mathematical, statistical tools, totally known as quantitative methods.
 Statistical and mathematical tools were and adopted and leading a radical
transformation of spirit in Anglo-American geography and gained much momentum
after 1950s world wide.
 In the history of geography, the quantitative revolution was one of the four major
turning-points of modern geography – the other three being environmental
determinism, regional geography and critical geography).

QUANTITATIVE GEOGRAPHERS
 I. Burton was the first geographical thinker to introduce the
concept of “Quantitative Revolution”in geography
 Hagget and Haggerstrand of Lund university further propagated it.
 Stewart gave the Gravity Model of Migration which was a
remarkable work in this field.
 However, the majority thinkers in Harvard university at that time
believed that Geography is not a universal discipline. This pushed
the field of geography to backseat.

OBJECTIVES
 To change geography from being a descriptive subject to a scientific subject.
 To explain and interpret the spatial pattern of geographical phenomenon in
rational and objective manner.
 Usage of mathematical language and terminology in Geography for example
Koppen Classification of Climates.
 To make precise statement about locational order.
 Creating mappable patterns of landslide zones or earthquake zones.
 Creating models for optimal location of industries using computers, maps and
laws of physics.
 The quantitative revolution came in geography to modernize the learning
process in geography and make use of geography in human development
activities.

CRISIS IN GEOGRAPHY
During the 1950s there was a crisis in geography because of the following
reasons:
 Earlier, The study geography was limited only to the description of earth surface.
The big question was, now we had studied the earth’s surface, what will be next?
 In 1948, Harward University closed down its geography department due to the
limited scope of study in geography.
 The importance of geography was being questioned.
 Geography was merely descriptive in nature and the use of statistics, data,
mathematics,etc were nearly absent.
 Most of the geographical theories was borrowed from other sublects such as:
1. Malthusian Theory Of Population
2. Nebular Hypothesis Theory Of The Origin And Formation Of Solar System

QUANTITATIVE TOOL
The Following Image Explains The Tools Used In The Quantitative Revolution:

ASSUMPTIONS
 Economic man – Man is considered as rational element who always tries to
maximize profit.
 Rational man- Man chooses and decide on the basis of scientific information.
Rational man is somebody who has access to all information and can also process
all information.
 Perfect competition- Fair system with no exploitation and no surplus profit
 Isotropic surface- The geographical area is an isotropic surface means there is no
such physical barrier as mountains and oceans.
 Man is defined as an ideal man who is not influenced by subjective information and
decision making.
 There is no place for some individual and social values in a model like culture,
belief, custom, attitude, traditions, choice, religious values,and social values.

BASIS OF THE QUANTITATIVE
REVOLUTION
1. POSITIVISM- Scientific study of Social world
2. FUNCTIONALISM- A theory about the nature of
mental states.
3. SCHAEFER VIEWS – Geography is science of
studying patterns of distribution of phenomena.
“Spatial science approach”

CONTRIBUTIONS OF Q.R
1. IOWA School – It promoted the use of mathematics in geography.(Schaefer)
2. Wisconsin School – It promoted the use of statistics based modelling.
3. Washington School – It focused more on location studies.
4. Vienna School – (Lund school)
• Haggerstrand developed diffusion of innovation model (Time-space
geography)
5. Development of Social physics – which was use of principles and methods
of physics for social sciences. Ex- Gravity Laws.

METHODS USED IN Q.R
1. Locational Analysis - It includes spatial analysis by applying statistical and
mathematical tools.
 Eg. Weber’s Locational Model, Von Thunen’s Agricultural Model.
2. Spatial Analysis - It is the Study of Earth as a Space Geometry. It includes
measurements & Divisions of space and man became a point on Surface.It
means Geometrical analysis, the study of distance, the geometrical shape .
3. System Analysis - It is the study of various functional components of a
system and their interrelationships.
1. Eg. In Central Place Theory, the relationship between various settlements
at various hierarchical levels

MODELS DEVELOPED UNDER Q.R
The following are some geographical models which come
into importance during the quantitative revolution:
Christaller model of central place theory
Weber;’s Industrial location theory
Von Thunen Crop intensity model
Rank size rule
Primate city concept
The gravity model of migration

PHASES OF QUANTITATIVE
REVOLUTION

PROS
 Orderly and rational descriptions and interpretations.
 Accuracy and precision in research and analysis.
 Enriching the subject with modern tools.
 Time saving.
 Resource and finance saving.
 Free from bias and prejudices.
 Easy to understand and calculate.
 Accepted world wide.

CONS
 Damaged the identity of geography as a “ social sciences”.
 Consideration of man as a “ passive agent”.
 Over excessive and unnecessary applications of quantitative tools.
 Too much quantification in the concepts creates misleading.
 Create a gap between “have and have not”.
 Unavailability of resources in universities of developing world.
 Difficulty setting up a research model.
 Negligence of social and humanistic key points like religion, culture, customs, beliefs and
traditions
 According to Marxists, it served only capitalist purposes and is wasteful and exploitative
 It primarily developed in Europe/Usa and has over generalizations.They are not applicable in
different national and cultural contexts.

Q&A
Q. When Quantitative Geography experienced a
resurgence and what was the primary motivation for it.
Ans. During the 1990s, Quantitative geography experienced a
resurgence. The primary motivation for the resurgence was the
expansion of geotechnical applications, such as Geographic
information system (GIS), The Global Positioning System(GPS)
and remote sensing and the growing dominance of Geo
Techniques

CONCLUSION
The Quantitative Revolution in geography catalyzed a pivotal
transformation by prioritizing empirical methods and mathematical
models.
Despite facing criticism for potential reductionism, it significantly
advanced spatial analysis and research methodologies.
Its enduring impact is evident in the continued application of
quantitative techniques, shaping how geographers comprehend
and interpret the intricacies of spatial phenomena in our globally
interconnected environment.

QUANTITATIVE REVOLUTION merits and demerits .pptx

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