GeoInquiry: A novel method for qualitative spatial research in health and place

Qualitative data have long been a neglected data type in geospatial analysis and GIS. Over the course of the past decade work in Qualitative GIS and the Geoweb has provided the basis for new methods of combining qualitative data, GIS and the Geoweb. Recently, areas of study like New Media have added a foundation for the construction of a new method called GeoInquiry. GeoInquiry is a research framework for collecting, analyzing and visualizing qualitative spatial data in a lightweight web-framework. The technical framework for GeoInquiry is described before two research tasks are undertaken. Formal user testing of the GeoInquiry software resulted in minor changes to the analysis application. The input applications showed through user acceptance testing that the input application has potential to feed the analysis applications, especially when training and guidance is included with the system. The GeoInquiry system was deployed to three sites in Dane County WI, to attempt to understand the spatial context around a public health study analyzing the decline in black infant mortality in Dane County. Building off of a quantitative Deprivation Index, GeoInquiry demonstrates the need for qualitative context to supplement and enhance a quantitative index. The highest area of deprivation was demonstrated to be significantly different in context than the other study areas. GeoInquiry has a connection to past work by many participatory mapping practitioners, but is especially linked to the work of Bill Bunge in Detroit and builds upon his early participatory mappings through a novel qualitative mapping framework.