Geo-self-organizing map (Geo-SOM) for building and exploring homogeneous regions

Abstract

Regionalization and uniform/homogeneous region building constitutes one of the most longstanding concerns of geographers. In this paper we explore the Geo-Self-Organizing Map (Geo-SOM) as a tool to develop homogeneous regions and perform geographic pattern detection. The Geo-SOM presents several advantages over other available methods. The possibility of "whatif" analysis, coupled with powerful visualization tools and the accommodation of spatial constraints, constitute some of the most relevant features of the Geo-SOM. In this paper we show the opportunities made available by this tool and explore different features which allow rich exploratory spatial data analysis. © Springer-Verlag 2004.