Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP)

MAUP - [spatial analysis] Acronym for modifiable areal unit problem. A challenge that occurs during the spatial analysis of aggregated data in which the results differ when the same analysis is applied to the same data, but different aggregation schemes are used. MAUP takes two forms: the scale effect and the zone effect. The scale effect exhibits different results when the same analysis is applied to the same data, but changes the scale of the aggregation units. For example, analysis using data aggregated by county will differ from analysis using data aggregated by census tract. Often this difference in results is valid: each analysis asks a different question because each evaluates the data from a different perspective (different scale). The zone effect is observed when the scale of analysis is fixed, but the shape of the aggregation units is changed. For example, analysis using data aggregated into one-mile grid cells will differ from analysis using one-mile hexagon cells. The zone effect is a problem because it is an analysis, at least in part, of the aggregation scheme rather than the data itself.

[Category=Geospatial ]

Source: esri, 07 June 2012 12:50:48, http://support.esri.com/en/knowledgebase/GISDictionary/term/abbreviation