Customer Reviews

An Introduction to Statistical Problem Solving in Geography

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This text was assigned for an intro-level statistics course I took that was required for geography majors. While the statistical methods covered in this text are not themselves geographical, they can be applied to geographic research in any of the subfields (human, spatial/cartographic, economic, physical, or people/environment).

All the basics of statistical problem solving are covered, including sampling methods and bias, descrptive statistics, inferential statistics, correlation, and regression. Examples are provided with a geographical context, to make the information relevant to students of geography. There is also a helpful epilogue entitled "Geogrphic Problem Solving in Pratical Solutions," which will be of interest to students with research goals.

The chapters are well-written, with ample narrative examples and clear and concise tables and diagrams. The student-directed list of "major goals and objectives" at the end of each chapter is also helpful, along with key terms (with page numbers) and additional references. My only (minor) complaint is that the black-and-white design of the content is occasionally tedious on the eyes, given the extent of narrative content, and the graphic presentations of the equations in-text makes it occasionally difficult to find what you're looking for quickly.

The second edition is an improvement over the first, with more examples and a much clearer format than the first. While this slim volume is a bit expensive new, I wouldn't recommend getting the first edition. As a geography grad student I continue to refer to this text, and have found it a worthwhile investment.

~ Jacquelyn Gill

I use this book along with Statistics in Geography: A Practical Approach, mainly for cross referencing information. I prefer the latter, but this book is a bit more updated. I needed a basic refresher for my research and this has fit the bill for the most part. If you need this book for the geography information, it does tend to reference human geographical elements more so than physical.