Progress in Spatial Demography

Demography is an inherently spatial science, yet application of spatial data and methods to demographic research has tended to lag that of other disciplines. In recent years there has been a rapid growth in interest in the addition of a spatial perspective in demography, and in part this growth has been driven by the ready availability of geospatial data, and the refinement and emergence of GIScience tools to analyze them. We offer a brief introduction to some of the advanced spatial analytic methods now available, introduce papers in the Special Collection on Spatial Demography, and look to a future where these methods can be harnesses to address important demographic research questions.