Quantitative geographers, as well as other social scientists, use the methodological techniques of spatial econometrics to analyze data in ways that help understand how humans are interrelated with one another across different geographic areas. More specifically, researchers use spatial econometric techniques to build regression models that attempt to mathematically represent the effects of human interdependence when explaining the factors leading to the geographic distribution of a variable. Spatial econometric techniques have been applied by researchers from a wide variety of fields, such as criminology, archaeology, regional economics, election analysis, international political conflict, and real estate analysis. Common to all these fields is the use of observational data that can be mapped (or geographically referenced) to infer interesting spatial (or geographic) associations.

Strongly associated with the fields ...