Time geography

Time geography or time-space geography is an evolving transdisciplinary perspective on spatial and temporal processes and events. Time geography was originally developed by human geographers, but today it is applied in multiple fields related to transportation, regional planning, geography, anthropology, time-use research, ecology, environmental science, and public health. It is not a subject area per se, but rather an integrative ontological framework and visual language in which space and time are basic dimensions of analysis of dynamic processes. In time- space the individual describes a path within a situational context. Life paths become captured within a net of constraints, some of which are imposed by physiological and physical necessities and some imposed by private and common decisions. The notation system is a very useful tool, but it is a rather poor reflection of a rich world-view. In many cases, the notational apparatus has been the hallmark of time geography. However, the underlying ontology is the most important feature." Time geography is not just about time-geographic diagrams, just as music is not only about musical notation. By 1981, geographers were already defending time geography against those who would see it as a rigid descriptive model of spatial temporal organization.