4- Spatial aggregation and the Modifiable Area Unit Problem (MAUP)

Measures of spatial inequality are typically defined based on the spatial aggregation of geo-coded data into some discrete spatial units of varying sizes and shapes including countries, NUTS-regions, municipalities, or census tracts. However, differences in the size and the shape of the geographical units used to measure spatial inequality will lead to different results.

The sensitivity of results to the choice of geographical units is known as the Modifiable Area Unit Problem (MAUP). This is important in the context of RELOCAL because it has been demonstrated that measures of spatial inequality can be more strongly influenced by how the geographical units have been constructed than by the underlying spatial variation. Therefore, it will be addressed these issues by developing tools for the analysis of spatial patterns of inequality at different geographical scales. Mapping different aspects of inequality on a variety of geographical scales is a way of showing appropriate levels of inequality at which territorial injustice can be found.