The use of public spatial databases in risk analysis: A US-oriented tutorial

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Geospatial Data Analysis
• Public Policy Research

Background:

• Six large, publicly accessible spatial databases from US federal agencies are available.
• These databases integrate community, demographic, economic, social, and hazard data.
• Spatial data offers opportunities for risk-informed policy and decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review opportunities and challenges in utilizing recent US federal spatial databases.
• To inform researchers and decision-makers on effective and cautious use of spatial data.
• To identify limitations and propose improvements for spatial dataset application.

Main Methods:

• Review of six major spatial databases from US federal agencies.
• Analysis of data accuracy, cell variations, and spatial autocorrelation issues.
• Examination of agency utilization, data limitations, and surrounding debates.

Main Results:

• Spatial databases offer significant potential for risk assessment and policy.
• Key challenges include data accuracy, spatial autocorrelation, and data cell variations.
• Ignoring these limitations can lead to misleading research findings.

Conclusions:

• Effective use of spatial databases requires acknowledging and addressing data limitations.
• A checklist is provided to guide users in accessing and utilizing spatial datasets.
• Cautious application of these resources can answer critical hazard and risk questions.