Geographic Data Science

The need to group data
Dani Arribas-Bel

The need to group data

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler

Albert Einstein

The need to group data

  • The world is complex and multidimensional
  • Univariate analysis focuses on only one dimension
  • Sometimes, world issues are best understood as multivariate. E.g.
    • Percentage of foreign-born Vs. What is a neighborhood?
    • Years of schooling Vs. Human development
    • Monthly income Vs. Deprivation

Grouping as simplifying

  • Define a given number of categories based on many characteristics (multi-dimensional)
  • Find the category where each observation fits best
  • Reduce complexity, keep all the relevant information
  • Produce easier-to-understand outputs

Types of grouping

  • Non-spatial clustering
  • Regionalisation

Creative Commons License
A course on Geographic Data Science by Dani Arribas-Bel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.