ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part focuses on the spatial-analytical methods associated with the development of Geography in the latter half of the twentieth century. Spatial analysis emerged in the 1950s and 1960s and certainly had the weight and substance to be considered a new paradigm for Geography. Geography’s tradition in cartography and mapping science was well versed in scientific method. The challenge of representing a round Earth on a flat surface was the basic challenge for map projection; land survey and graphical presentation were standard skills of the geographer as map maker. The part shows that the cartographic tradition remains of central importance to the discipline of Geography. The cartographic and fieldwork traditions can both be viewed as linking to the holistic tradition and promoting unity within Geography because they have the potential to incorporate all these dimensions as variously interpreted by both physical and human geographers.
