ABSTRACT
After introducing the two components of spatial data and their enumeration scale, this chapter discusses how to collect spatial data from existing sources, and how to sample spatial data in the fields using a number of methods. Featured prominently in the discussion is how to yield a spatially representative and theoretically viable set of data. A number of issues related to spatial sampling are all explored in depth. The second part of this chapter discusses spatial association. Elaborated extensively in the discussion are spatial correlation and spatial autocorrelation, and their applications. Two methods of calculating spatial autocorrelation, Geary’s ratio and Moran’s I, are presented and compared, with examples supplied to demonstrate their manual derivation. The chapter then elaborates on local-scale spatial association and bivariate autocorrelation, highlighting their applications. Finally, the chapter presents descriptive analysis of area pattern and explores how it can be tested in exploratory spatial analysis.
