Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science

The Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS) was an infrastructure program designed to facilitate communication and sharing of research ideas and methodologies among researchers in the social and behavioral sciences. The CSISS approach to integrating knowledge across disciplines and paradigms was achieved by broadening the user base of spatially integrated social science (SISS)—cartographic visualization, geographic information systems (GIS), pattern recognition, spatially sensitive statistical analysis, and place-based search methodologies. The Center’s programs made use of Web technologies to promote accessibility to these tools and to related information, foster opportunities for scholars to learn about and master spatial methodologies, and provide intellectual foci for engaging a broad range of scholars in intensive discussion and program development.CSISS was founded in 1999 with the aid of a five-year award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), under its program of support for the development of research infrastructure in the social and behavioral sciences. This report to NSF summarizes the contributions made by the center from its inception until December, 2005, at the end of a one-year no-cost extension.

This report describes the results of a survey of social science jounals to document trends in the application of spatial approaches in different disciplines between 1990 and 2001. An appendix about the related CSISS web search engine and its controlled vocabulary is provided for those interested in the semantic and ontological foundations of this report regarding applications of geographical information science and  spatial analysis in the social sciences.

In February 2003, the UCSB Social Science Survey Center conducted a survey of applicants to CSISS programs for years 2000 – 2002. The objectives of the survey were to ascertain: (1) the extent to which spatial analysis and spatial thinking have developed in the social sciences in recent years; (2) the perceived needs of researchers in the social science community; and (3) the success of CSISS programs in building infrastructure for the dissemination of spatial thinking in thesocial sciences. The survey attempted to reach all individuals who applied to participate in CSISS workshops and specialist meetings (741) during the first three years of the Center’s operations.

This report describes the research and instructional outcomes of the NSF-supported CSISS programs over the period 1 May 2002 to 30 April 2003. Specialist research meetings featured spatial analytic tools development and spatial analysis in health risk assessment. Training workshops focused on applications of GIS in the social sciences, geographically weighted regression, spatial pattern analysis, and map making and visualization of spatial data.

Conference poster displaying the primary programs offered through the UCSB Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science.

This report describes the research and instructional outcomes of the NSF-supported CSISS programs over the period 1 July 2001 to 30 April 2002. These programs initiated two new book projects on spatial econometrics and on best practices in spatially integrated social science. National workshops offered training to social science scholars in applications of spatial data analysis, and specialist research meetings featured spatial analytic software development and location-based services.

The strategic plan for national dissemination of spatial analysis across social science disciplines featured programs for training spatial social scientists, publications demonstrating application of spatial thinking in different disciplines, and the development of new spatial analytic tools for processing geo-referenced information.

The second annual report for the NSF-supported CSISS program describes initiatives in building national infrastructure in support of spatial analysis and spatial thinking in social science research and education. It covers the period 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001 and summarizes specialist meetings on social equity and spatial externalities; workshops on multiagent spatial modeling, spatial pattern analysis, spatial data analysis and spatial regression. It also provides details about the CSISS software development of tools for exploratory spatial data analysis, and website development for dissemination of learning resources.

This annual report for year one of the NSF-sponsored CSISS program covers the period 1 October 1999 to 30 June 2000. It describes the initial set of workshops on spatial analysis, plans for research-oriented specialist meetings, spatial analytical tools development, publications, and outreach efforts in support of building national-level infrastructure in support of spatial thinking across the social sciences.

This proposal to the National Science Foundation led to the establishment of the Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science in October 1999. The proposal outlines the intellectual and operational framework for the Center in its activities in research, education, and national dissemination of spatial perspectives across the social sciences.