Discuss systems approach and its applicability in geography.
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Answer:
The Systematic Approach in Geography
It is often useful to consider spatial problems through a general systems approach. A general system is a group of fundamental elements bound together by specific linkages. Systems may be open or closed and may change through time. Most systems, however, are open. The earth is an open system in which there are inputs, outputs, and flow-through mechanisms. The linkages, or connections, that bind entities together into a system are paths through which matter, energy, ideas, and people pass from one element to another. General Systems Theory is useful to both human and physical geographers.
Geographers employ systems to develop analytical models with which they seek to understand and explain spatial patterns and interactions. Human geographers, for example, use the systems model to examine human migration patterns, the diffusion of ideas, and the spread of information. Moreover, research about physical geography relies on understanding the natural systems in which physical processes operate.
Geographers are interested in identifying, explaining, and predicting flows in human and physical systems. They also seek to identify, describe, and explain cycles and patterns. Furthermore, they are concerned with changes in flow, cycle, and pattern because such changes are indicators of possibly significant alterations in the larger system.
The systems approach greatly enhances the effectiveness of land-use planning and natural resource management. The elements of general ecosystems include quantitative, qualitative, behavioral, economic, and political subsystems. The qualitative subsystem encompasses finite space. Finite space includes urban, empty, rural, psychological, and multiple-use spaces. The qualitative subsystem is characterized by concepts such as carrying capacity, ecological value systems, compatibility, suitability, capability, and stability. The economic subsystem involves economic theory and decision making, whereas the political subsystem includes inputs from citizens, bureaucracies, and governments. The behavioral subsystem is characterized by attitudes, values, beliefs, customs, and traditions.
A general systems model is a composite in which variables are linked in a human/land system. Some of the variables may be measured quantitatively and some may not. The systems approach involves relationships between variables, and a change in one variable will reverberate throughout the entire system