Methodological aspects of the spatial analysis of geosocial media feeds : from locations towards places

Geosocial media feeds have become an important part of the geographical and GIScience research landscapes and have led to insights in different areas that often could not be obtained from traditional data sources. Beyond the use as an additional data source, however, there is only a limited amount of research that investigates the very nature of these novel datasets. This article addresses the interaction of statistical spatial analysis methodology with the spatial properties of geosocial media data. The results show that many available spatial analysis techniques are not able to deal with the characteristics of geosocial media data. It is further argued that geosocial media and related data sources will lead to a shift in the focus of analysis from objective coordinates to subjectively conceptualised locations. Research of the last years is discussed and conclusions are drawn in a synopsis that would not be possible likewise considering the results discussed individually. The article closes with the formulation of a detailed research agenda to support future systematic research on geosocial media data and related user generated data