Spatial Autocorrelation: An Introduction to GIS

This lecture introduces the concept of spatial autocorrelation in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), covering topics such as global spatial autocorrelation, weighting schemes, Moran's I as a regression coefficient, and contiguity ratio. It explains how to determine appropriate spatial weighting schemes, calculate global Moran's I, and evaluate its significance. The lecture also delves into the contiguity ratio and statistical mapping, exploring the use of a single index to quantify spatial autocorrelation. Additionally, it discusses neighborhood definitions for points and polygons, spatial weighting schemes, and the visualization of spatial structure through natural breaks.