Talk:Statistical geography

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[edit] Is this really a separate topic?

Yesterday I changed this stub article into a #redirect to spatial analysis. Today Hesperian has switched it back, and added a little more information. I'm not interested in starting a fight. But I honestly think that "statistical geography" is simply another name for "spatial analysis". So I'd like to get a friendly discussion started here.

I ran a few searches on Google Scholar. Searching the exact phrase "statistical geography" I got 595 hits, including Spatial Analysis: A Reader in Statistical Geography (Prentice-Hall, 1968), and this paper, which was published by the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College, London; it examines the statistical geography of the internet.

Searching the exact phrase "spatial analysis" on Google Scholar got 52,400 hits. Narrowing this search to those articles that also incorporate the words "statistical" and "geography", I'm still left with 10,500 hits. Here's a quote from page 21 of this publicly accessible article:

By spatial analysis, I mean the analysis of data that have spatial coordinates or geographic locations such as data for electoral precincts, countries, regions, cities, or locational attributes of voters (street address, work location, personal networks, etc).

I submit that "statistical geography" and "spatial analysis" are synonymous terms, and that the Wikipedia article on the subject should appear under the term that is more commonly used. DavidCBryant 14:03, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

It's my view that "statistical geography" includes concepts that could not be called "analysis" in any sense, such as the demarcation and naming of geographic areas for statistical purposes. But like you, I have no interest in starting a fight. You seem to have put some effort into establishing your position, so if you're quite certain, revert me; I won't revert again. If you're wrong, sooner or later an expert will weigh in. Hesperian 15:27, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

Maybe we should rename it to Statistical geography in Australia, with a link to the above spatial analysis article on the first line? If we're to do articles for "Statistical division (Australia)", "Statistical subdivision (Australia)" and "Census collection district (Australia)" (or some appropriate naming convention for the above) it would make sense to have some top level article on the subject. Orderinchaos 16:56, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

I would have thought the top-level article for the Australian stuff would be Australian Standard Geographical Classification. Hesperian 05:06, 25 April 2007 (UTC)