The outcome is the emergence of "the geographic approach"—a new way of thinking and problem solving that integrates geographic information into how we understand and manage our planet. As the diagram below suggests, this approach allows us to create geographic knowledge by measuring the Earth, organizing this data, and analyzing/modeling various processes and their relationships. The geographic approach also allows us to apply this knowledge to the way we design, plan, and change our world.
The geographic approach is not a new idea. It is how geographers study and analyze our world. It was perhaps best articulated by Ian L. McHarg in his book Design With Nature, where he lays out a philosophical context for why and how humans should manage these activities within natural and cultural landscapes.