| This project begins with the general question of how well-grounded contextual qualitative data can be included in GIS (Geographic Information Systems). I use the emerging concept of "Qualitative GIS" to approach this issue. By defining the meanings of this term, and pulling together diverse practices of Qualitative GIS, I suggest that Qualitative GIS has led to new forms of mixed-methods research between GIS and qualitative research. I argue that qualitative data have not yet been holistically integrated with GIS. This project explores a new approach of blending qualitative research with GIS by creating two software-level strategies. The first strategy is to include qualitative data directly into a GIS database from the beginning of research, thereby aiding in the comprehensive analysis of multiple forms of data. This is achieved by developing an 'imagined-grid' for qualitative data and creating a 'social-relational database' in the GIS. The second strategy meshes GIS with CAQDAS (Computer-Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software), specifically the ATLAS ti RTM program. The value of GIS is in its ability to represent both qualitative and quantitative data along with their spatial information, and the value of CAQDAS lies in its ability to provide better means of storing, managing, and analyzing qualitative data. I demonstrate that the key concept in the integration of the two is to use the qualitative 'code' function as a bridge between them. I also propose that CAQ-GIS can be not only part of mixed-method research, but can also be used as mixed-method research. In this dissertation, I demonstrate these issues through two case studies involving both children's and adults' perceptions of their neighborhoods in the Eastside and Westside of Buffalo, NY.; Keywords. critical GIS, qualitative GIS, mixed-methods research, CAQ-GIS, geography of communities, community studies, children's urban geographies... |
