III.

Methodology

In traditional human geography the principal methods included, particularly, observation and recording, followed by detailed description and mapping, although analysis of secondary data was also important. During the period when spatial analysis was the principal approach, methods included empirical testing of deductive theory using statistical analysis and model building. Contemporary methods include primary data collection through, for example, questionnaires, interviews, and participatory techniques, and the analysis of the data collected using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Use of secondary data includes, for humanistic geographers, text analysis, and, for radical geographers, empirical investigations using published statistics and other secondary sources. In the recent revival of the spatial approach, detailed analysis of georeferenced data, such as censuses, market research databanks, and postcodes is carried out using specialized computer programmes and tools, such as geographical information systems, and is used to build models (see Cartography: Geographical Information Systems).