Are there different spatial sciences and research domains?

Answer

There are a number of spatial sciences. Most are related to the field of Geography and to a lesser extent to Geomatics or Surveying. Below is a summary of the main disciplines.

– physical geography: study of the existence and formation of the physical environment (valleys, mountains, soil …) and how it influences man in the past and now. The inverse relationship – how humans affect the physical environment – is also studied. Physical geographers work in education, government and engineering offices. This is also closely linked to the study of the landscape as a cultural phenomenon, which also has a link with heritage.

– social and economic geography: partly overlaps with the above, but has special attention to the formation of (world) cities, demographic, financial and economic flows within and between regions. These geographers go to work in engineering offices, but can also work for city councils, economic institutions that help formulate policy, and institutions that deal with migration. This discipline is very broad and offers a very high potential on the labor market.

The above disciplines mainly study the relationship between man and environment. In the broader sense, spatial science refers to the study of all data that contains a spatial component (coordinates). An extremely important skill in these disciplines is the use of geographic information systems (GIS), which allow the study of this data on the basis of its spatial distribution and coherence. With this skill you can then work at GIS companies such as Geosolutions for example.

Finally, there are the land surveyors who form the basis of data collection via total stations, leveling devices, laser 3D registration and photogrammetry. They can work independently or as an employee. In addition, they can work at institutions such as the land register, AGIV and the National Geographical Institute.

More information can be found on the following websites:

http://www.geography.ugent.be/

https://www.agiv.be/

http://cartogis.ugent.be/geomobiel/