Proving Tobler’s Law

摘要

In the last year, the world has run up against a hard truth that geographers have known all along—the world is a very interconnected place. As Waldo Tobler’s First Law of Geography states: “Everything is related to everything else. But near things are more related than distant things.” This has been demonstrated vividly as disruptions, decisions, and events in one location have caused repercussions that are perhaps most acutely felt locally but are often palpable regionally and sometimes internationally. The effects of individual decisions can extend far beyond our immediate circle and can ripple across our communities and nation.