Leveraging spatial relationships

So far, we've looked at the methods of analysis that take advantage of the continuity of the gridded raster data or of the geometric formality of the topological network data.

For ordinary vector data, we need a more abstract method of analysis, which is establishing the formal relationships based on the conditions in the spatial arrangement of geometric objects.

For most of this section, we will gather and prepare the data in ways that will be familiar. When we get to preparing the boundary data, which is leveraging the State House Districts data from the census tracts, we will be covering new territory—using the spatial relationships to construct the data for a given geographic unit.

Gathering the data

First, we will gather data from the sections of the US Census website. Though this workflow will be particularly useful for those working with the US demographic data, it will also be instructive for those dealing with any kind of data linked to geographic boundaries...