Spatial Statistics and Spatial Econometrics

About

The purpose of this course is to introduce the analytical framework for analyzing spatial data and its target audience are students from social sciences (specifically, economics, political science and cognitive psychology), engineers, earth and geosciences, and applied physics. In the past decade or so, much interest has grown in the area due to readily-available spatially-delineated data, particularly when in 2008 the U.S. Geological Survey stopped charging for its high-resolution LANDSAT archive. However, modeling spatial data and spatial relationships necessitate the use of analytic tools beyond the standard statistical methods such as the ordinary least squares. Characterisation of spatial autocorrelation in spatial datasets for the purpose of statistical inference and statistical prediction is a focus of this course. In addition, we will ask: how and why does spatial autocorrelation arise; how is it measured and understood; how does it relate to issues of spatial heterogeneity and spatial dependence; and how these factors inform the specification and estimation of regression models. Specific modeling techniques include spatial autocorrelation measures (Moran's I, Geary's C, Variogram and Kriging estiators) and spatial regression models.

Intended audience: Students of physical, computation and social sciences who are interested in characterizing and modeling the spatial dimension in modern datasets and conduct statistical inference for real-world applications, including (but not restricted to) natural resource management, LULC change models, inventory management,

Prerequisites: Students should have the knowledge of basic probability and statistics, linear algebra and differential calculus