Abstract
Even though Gehlke and Biehl (1934) discovered certain aspects of the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP), the term MAUP was not coined formally until Openshaw and Taylor (1979) evaluated systematically the variability of correlation values when different boundaries systems were used in the analysis. The problem is called “the modifiable areal unit” because the boundaries of many geographical units are often demarcated artificially, and thus can be changed. For example, administrative boundaries, political districts, and census enumeration units are all subject to be redrawn. When data are gathered according to different boundary definitions, different data sets are generated. Analyzing these data sets will likely provide inconsistent results. This is the essence of the MAUP.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Fisher, P. F. and M. Langford, 1995. Modelling the Errors in Areal Interpolation Between Zonal Systems by Monte Carlo Simulation. Environment and Planning A 27 (2): 211–224.
Fotheringham, A. S. 1989. Scale-independent Spatial Analysis. In M. F. Goodchild and S. Gopal, eds. Accuracy of Spatial Databases, 221–228. London: Taylor and Francis.
Fotheringham, A. S. and D. W. S. Wong, 1991. The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem in Multivariate Statistical Analysis. Environment and Planning A 23: 1025–1044.
Gehlke, C. E., and K. Biehl, 1934. Certain Effects of Grouping Upon the Size of the Correlation Coefficient in Census Tract Material. Journal of the American Statistical Association Supplement 29: 169–170.
King, G. 1997. A Solution to the Ecological Inference Problem. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Openshaw, S. and P. J. Taylor, 1979. A Million or so Correlation Coefficients: Three Experiments on the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem. In N. Wrigley, ed. Statistical Applications in the Spatial Sciences, 127–144. London: Pion.
Quattrochi, D. A. and M. F. Goodchild. eds. 1997. Scale in Remote Sensing and GIS. New York: CRC Press.
Tate, N. J. and P. M. Atkinson, eds. 2001. Modelling Scale in Geographical Information Science. West Sussex, England: Wiley.
Tobler, W. 1989. Frame Independent Spatial Analysis. In M. F. Goodchild and S. Gopal, eds. Accuracy of Spatial Databases, 115–122. London: Taylor and Francis.
Wong, D. W. S. 2001. Location-Specific Cumulative Distribution Function (LSCDF): An Alternative to Spatial Correlation Analysis. Geographical Analysis 33(1): 76–93.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wong, D.W.S. (2004). The Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP). In: Janelle, D.G., Warf, B., Hansen, K. (eds) WorldMinds: Geographical Perspectives on 100 Problems. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2352-1_93
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2352-1_93
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-1613-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-2352-1
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive