Quantitative methods I: Reckoning with uncertainty

Abstract

In this report, I address the timeless topic of uncertainty. Quantitative methods are in flux and uncertainty provides a useful vantage point for assessing these changes. I draw particular attention to two forces at odds with each other: on the one hand, innovative methods and data that allow researchers to embrace uncertainty, and on the other, recent trends towards deliberate amplification of uncertainty, in the form of differential privacy methods which potentially limit our capacity for measuring and understanding the world around us. I close by highlighting some implications for users and producers of quantitative methods and data in geography.