Session: Invited Symposia: Asking and Answering Spatial Questions: Incorporating Spatial Methods In Social Welfare Research (Society for Social Work and Research 15th Annual Conference: Emerging Horizons for Social Work Research)

Social workers have long recognized the centrality of space, place, and environment in social and health outcomes and are optimally situated to ask and answer spatial questions. Yet social welfare researchers often have little exposure to the spatial perspectives and methods flourishing in neighboring fields. This session will provide an opportunity for social welfare scholars to learn about new tools and resources for assessing the meaning of space and place for vulnerable populations, exploring and addressing sociospatial disparities, and blending qualitative and quantitative spatial methods. Examples from the emerging fields of qualitative and participatory GIS, including the use of three-dimensional spacetime models and geo-ethnography, as well as the integration of spatial statistics, GPS, and mobile devices aim to inspire new ideas about social welfare research that brings spatial issues to the forefront. Resources for training in spatial analytics and technical support, identifying partners on campus, building collaborations across disciplines, and finding spatial data will be shared. Whether you are a technology skeptic or enthusiast and whether you have prior experience in geospatial methods or not, we welcome your participation.