As standards for the storage and transmission of spatially referenced data become commonly adopted, these opportunities will grow. Virtually all human capital decisions of interest to scholars and policymakers are made with reference to the characteristics of specific geographic places. By the same token, much of the extant research into human capital makes use of data collected within specific geographic contexts, albeit at a variety of spatial scales. Exploratory and confirmatory spatial data analysis promises to enrich theorizing about the determinants and consequences of the geographically differentiated distribution of human and social capital assets. In an era of scarce research resources, it is increasingly imperative that scholarly activity be encouraged in areas that promise social, as well as scientific, returns.
Human capital is clearly one such area.
Recognizing the tremendous potential for geography to contribute in these ways to the human capital research initiative and to encourage the realization of the benefits of a spatial perspective in this area, it seems desirable to advance a strategy whereby these objectives and potentials are likely to be fully realized. As such, our experiences drew attention to the urgent need to encourage and foster a closer collaboration among geographers, GIS software developers, and the human capital research community. Toward this end, the following alternative structures are suggested for consideration. While these are neither exhaustive of viable strategies or mutually exclusive, they identify several options that appear to have merit. The creation of multidisciplinary research teams including geographers.