Development of a new spatial auto-correlation method for precisely testing the "First Law of Geography"

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24650606
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Geography
• Research Institution: Aoyama Gakuin University
• Principal Investigator: OKABE Atsuyuki 青山学院大学, 総合文化政策学部, 教授 (10114050)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YAMADA Ikuho 中央大学, 理工学部人間総合理工学科, 教授 (00594756)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 空間自己相関 / モランのＩ指標 / 統計検定用数表 / モンテカルロシミュレーション / 地理の第1法則

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study proposes a precise method for using Moran’s I index, one of the most frequently used methods for testing spatial autocorrelation. In the related literature, most studies assume that Moran’s I index is normally distributed if the number of zones is around one hundred. This study shows that even for that large number, the normality is not satisfied; consequently, empirical studies using Moran’s I index with such a number of zones are likely to lead false conclusions. To avoid these false conclusions, this study carried out a huge number of Monte Carlo simulations, and obtained the numerical table of the critical values for Moran’s I index. Using this table, researchers can perform a precise statistical test for spatial autocorrelation.

Free Research Field

地理学