Uncertain geographic context problem

The uncertain geographic context problem or UGCoP is a source of statistical bias that can significantly impact the results of spatial analysis when dealing with aggregate data.

[15] Traditional spatial analysis, by necessity, treats each discrete areal unit as a self-contained neighborhood and does not consider the daily activity of crossing the boundaries.

[17] If the boundary demarcating the study area is permeable to travel, then the phenomena under investigation within it may extend beyond, and be impacted by, forces excluded from the analysis.

[2] These technologies allow scientists to analyze and visualize the 3D space-time path of people moving through a study area, and better understand their actual activity space.

[2][15] These technologies have helped to address the problem by moving away from aggregate data and introducing a temporal component to the modeling of subject activity.

Schematic and example of a space-time prism using transit network data: On the right is a schematic diagram of a space-time prism, and on the left is a map of the potential path area for two different time budgets. [ 9 ]