DALL’INFORMAZIONE ALLA CONOSCENZA

Abstract

The increasing use of digital equipment and new media is currently resulting in the generation of very big streams of data, most of them enriched by geospatial reference. This availability of large amounts of data can generate both opportunities and challenges for geographic research. In this paper, we examine the characteristics of such data proliferation and investigate its main methodological implications. After recalling some significant milestones of the social geography methodology and summarizing the issues linked to the data growth, we highlight some main benefits and weak points of using spatial big data for geographic and social research.