<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> This article proposes a typology of boundary changes in territorial units at two points in time. The different types of changes are organized in a hierarchy and represented homogeneously, independently of the number of territorial units involved and of the changes to them. Each alteration is described precisely and unambiguously, and it is codified to allow the information to be treated automatically. In addition to providing efficient storage of the information about these changes, a canonical representation facilitates the automatic detection of inconsistencies in the database. At the same time, the typology allows us to define backward and forward equivalence rules, which helps in the task of generating homogeneous time series about territorial unit characteristics, such as population or surface area, or generating the full genealogy of a territorial unit over time. We also offer an application of the proposal to inconsistencies and error detection in the database Alterations to the Municipalities in the Population Censuses since 1842 from the Spanish National Statistical Institute (INE).</p></abstract>

This article proposes a typology of boundary changes in territorial units at two points in time. The different types of changes are organized in a hierarchy and represented homogeneously, independently of the number of territorial units involved and of the changes to them. Each alteration is described precisely and unambiguously, and it is codified to allow the information to be treated automatically. In addition to providing efficient storage of the information about these changes, a canonical representation facilitates the automatic detection of inconsistencies in the database. At the same time, the typology allows us to define backward and forward equivalence rules, which helps in the task of generating homogeneous time series about territorial unit characteristics, such as population or surface area, or generating the full genealogy of a territorial unit over time. We also offer an application of the proposal to inconsistencies and error detection in the database Alterations to the Municipalities in the Population Censuses since 1842 from the Spanish National Statistical Institute (INE).

Typology and Representation of Alterations in Territorial Units: A Proposal

Journal of Official Statistics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

{"article-title":"Typology and Representation of Alterations in Territorial Units: A Proposal"}

This article proposes a typology of boundary changes in territorial units at two points in time. The different types of changes are organized in a hierarchy...

Typology and Representation of Alterations in Territorial Units: A Proposal

Published Online: Mar 01, 2018

Page range: 83 - 106

Received: Mar 01, 2015

Accepted: Nov 01, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jos-2018-0005

Keywords
Municipal boundary changes, population census, homogeneous series, standardized representation, equivalence rules, inconsistency criteria, typology

© by Francisco Goerlich

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Typology and Representation of Alterations in Territorial Units: A Proposal

Published Online: Mar 01, 2018

Page range: 83 - 106

Received: Mar 01, 2015

Accepted: Nov 01, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jos-2018-0005

KeywordsMunicipal boundary changes, population census, homogeneous series, standardized representation, equivalence rules, inconsistency criteria, typology

© by Francisco Goerlich

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Municipal boundary changes, population census, homogeneous series, standardized representation, equivalence rules, inconsistency criteria, typology