Using Areal Interpolation to Deal with Differing Regional Structures in International Research
1
Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43 Prague 2, Czechia
2
Department of Geography, Faculty of Education, Catholic University in Ruzomberok, Hrabovska cesta 1, 034 01 Ruzomberok, Slovakia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2020, 9(2), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9020126
Received: 14 January 2020 / Revised: 11 February 2020 / Accepted: 20 February 2020 / Published: 22 February 2020
When working with regional data from different countries, issues concerning data comparability need to be solved, including regional comparability. Differing regional unit size is a common issue which influences the results of socio-economic analyses. In this paper, we introduce a strategy to deal with the regional incomparability of administrative data in international research. We propose a methodological approach based on the areal interpolation method, which facilitates the usage of advanced spatial analyses. To illustrate, we analyze spatial patterns of unemployment in seven Central European countries. We use a very detailed spatial (municipal) level to reveal local tendencies. To have comparable units across the whole region, we apply the areal interpolation method, a process of projecting data from source administrative units to the target structure of a grid. After choosing the most suitable grid structure and projecting the data onto the grid, we perform a hot spot analysis to show the benefits of the grid structure for socio-economic analyses. The proposed approach has great potential in international research for its methodological correctness and the ability to interpret results.
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Keywords:
areal interpolation; simple area weighting; areal kriging; hot spot analysis; data comparability; international research
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MDPI and ACS Style
Netrdová, P.; Nosek, V.; Hurbánek, P. Using Areal Interpolation to Deal with Differing Regional Structures in International Research. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2020, 9, 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9020126
AMA Style
Netrdová P, Nosek V, Hurbánek P. Using Areal Interpolation to Deal with Differing Regional Structures in International Research. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 2020; 9(2):126. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9020126
Chicago/Turabian StyleNetrdová, Pavlína; Nosek, Vojtěch; Hurbánek, Pavol. 2020. "Using Areal Interpolation to Deal with Differing Regional Structures in International Research" ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 9, no. 2: 126. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9020126
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