—Lauren Rosenshein
Regression analysis is one of the most commonly used statistics in the federal government for social sciences. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and geographically weighted regression (GWR) evaluate relationships among two or more feature attributes. By identifying and measuring relationships, you are in a better position to understand what's going on in a place, predict where something is likely to occur, or investigate why things occur where they do. This presentation will cover basic regression analysis concepts, diagnostics, and workflows as they relate to the analysis of spatial data. Emphasis will be on OLS regression (the precursor to all spatial regression techniques) and GWR, both implemented in ArcGIS 9.3. Regression analysis is relevant for a wide range of applications within the federal government including transportation, ecology, demographics, crime, and epidemiology.