Dealing with errors in socio-economic databases: selected findings of a national research initiative

Geographic information systems (GIS) are being increasingly applied by geographers, statisticians, planners and regional scientists as a tool to support a variety of forms of spatial analysis using social, economic and demographic data. The new techniques and the expansion of applications from specific research oriented studies to broad based policy analysis raise questions of accuracy in spatial database operations that have received only limited attention in conventional spatial analysis. In this paper we will look at accuracy issues from the perspective of socio-economic data analysis. Finally we present an example drawn from a multiregional modeling effort. Based on these experiences, it is argued that while GIS may lead to more problems in terms of spatial database accuracy, it could also provide for a flexible framework that enables the analyst to cope with these frequently encountered problems. -from Authors