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Trajectory Data Analyses for Pedestrian Space-time Activity Study

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Published on: February 25, 2013

Potential biases due to geocoding error in spatial analyses of official data.

Geoff Hay¹, Kypros Kypri², Peter Whigham³

¹Injury Prevention Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

|November 14, 2008

Summary

Geospatial studies on alcohol outlet density may have biased findings due to geocoding errors. Accurate mapping of crime locations varied significantly between urban and rural areas in New Zealand.

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Area of Science:

Public Health
Geospatial Science
Criminology

Background:

Geospatial methods are widely used to study alcohol outlet density and associated harms.
Previous studies often lack sufficient methodological detail to evaluate geocoding biases.
Assessing location data accuracy is crucial for reliable geospatial research.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess geocoding error in geospatial research using New Zealand liquor licensing and crime data.
To investigate the impact of urban-rural variations on the accuracy of location data.
To highlight the potential for bias in existing literature due to data quality issues.

Main Methods:

Utilized New Zealand liquor licensing and crime data for geocoding error assessment.
Analyzed the accuracy of mapping offences, differentiating between urban and rural areas.
Evaluated the specificity and accuracy of location data.

Main Results:

Only 69% of offences were accurately mapped in the best available data year.
Accuracy was significantly higher in urban areas (91%) compared to rural areas (38%).
Substantial urban-rural disparities in location data accuracy and specificity were observed.

Conclusions:

Geocoding errors, particularly in rural areas, may introduce bias into geospatial studies on alcohol outlet density.
Previous research findings could be compromised if similar data quality issues exist elsewhere.
Explicit reporting of geocoding methods and greater attention to data quality are recommended for future geospatial research.