GIS5935 Lab 14: Modifiable Areal Unit Problem

A prime example of the modifiable areal unit problem is the delineation of political districts. Gerrymandering occurs when boundaries for political districts are manipulated to help gain a particular advantage. The purpose of this analysis was to measure gerrymandering affected the boundaries of a set of districts. The two ways they are affected are compactness, where the geometric boundaries take on unusual shapes, and community, where counties or other communities are divided into multiple districts. 

In this analysis, to measure the compactness of the districts to find the ones with the oddest geometric properties, I created a ratio of the perimeter of each boundary vs. the area, and found the ten worst districts based on compactness. To measure the community, I had to determine which districts broke up the boundaries of the most counties, while excluding any districts that broke up a county but fell completely within a county to account for higher population densities. The first example below shows compactness, and the second shows community: