Quantitative Platial Analysis: Methods for Handling and Representing Platial Heterogeneity and Linking Varying Concepts of Place

This paper explores potential approaches for quantitative platial analysis. It revisits some of the early work examining place in social media data in light of recent proposals for a platial GIS. Focussing on Massey's concept of space that incorporates a sense of belonging and kinship, where space becomes place through social relations, it uses coded Twitter data containing the term “shithole” to generate a predictive models of different types of platial denigration. These are used to infer the spatial distribution of different types of platial denigration. The results show that there is little spatial pattern to denigration of different places and sports facilities, but that denigration of one's own local area and of one's own personal space have highly localized distributions. The discussion indicates a number of areas for further research with a particular warning against developing platial GISs as has been suggested by many authors. Other explicitly GIScience avenues may be more productive and insightful.