Spatial analytics for open government data

Abstract

Information from the Census is tied to a State, County or Township boundaries and is dated to when the information was collected. Similarly, water quality, electricity consumption, and sociolinguistic accents are tied to geography and dated to when they were measured. Any attribute that is spatially explicit can be explored using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). GIS is a tool to find relationships and visualize trends and patterns between datasets that share the same geography. Researchers may be familiar with GIS's visually appealing results and its analytical powers and may even have ideas on how to apply this tool to their own research questions but have never had the chance to actually use this tool to generate tangible results on their own. These compressed hands on tutorial exercises on spatial analytics for open government data are designed to expose participants to levels of complexity that build on each other and explore an increasing range of functionalities offered by modern GIS. As a result, participants walk away having experienced the entire cycle of spatial analysis from identifying and importing data, performing overlays for spatial analysis and preparing map layouts and presentations to communicate the findings. Through this tutorial, participants should gain a basic understanding and practice of GIS to utilize this tool and address research problems in their own fields of expertise.