Partner with NORC for:
- Spatial Statistics: Apply techniques like hot spot analysis, cluster analysis, and spatial regression to uncover patterns and geographic relationships hidden within datasets.
- Spatial Modeling: Simulate, measure, and interpret spatial phenomena to transform complex datasets into actionable insights that support decision-making and policy development.
- Data Linkage and Geocoding: Integrate project data with a wide range of social, environmental, and economic datasets at multiple scales to support deeper analysis.
- Maps & Data Visualization: Use NORC’s industry-leading thematic maps and interactive dashboards to make complex data more accessible and actionable.
Our Experts
Our geographic analysis experts bring decades of experience in spatial statistics, data visualization, and GIS software.
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Ned English
Associate Director -
Katie Archambeau
Senior Data Scientist II -
Becki Curtis
Senior Research Methodologist -
Peter Herman
Senior Research Methodologist -
Sara Lafia
Research Methodologist -
Dave McQuown
Senior Data Scientist -
Martha McRoy
Senior Research Methodologist
Spatial Statistics
Hot Spot Analysis
NORC uses advanced GIS statistical techniques to identify significant clustering of spatial phenomena. For the National Highway and Transit Security Administration, we use hot spot analysis to identify spatial patterns of vehicle crashes and their relationship to road infrastructure, allowing for targeted safety improvements.
Cluster Analysis
NORC can group similar geographic phenomena within statistically significant clusters. For the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, we used geographic k-means clustering to assign field interviewers to cases using spatial constraints to ensure field interviewers received similar caseloads while keeping travel distance to a minimum.
Spatial Regression
NORC can model relationships between variables while accounting for spatial dependencies. For the USAID Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning project in El Salvador, we used spatial regression to visualize the relationship between crime incidents, risk, victims, and offenders.
Spatial Modeling
Remote Sensing/Satellite Imagery Analysis
NORC uses satellite imagery to produce demographic estimates, assess greenspace, and evaluate agricultural productivity in regions with limited administrative data. For the Maternal and Child Health Jurisdictional Survey (MCH-JS) in the Federated States of Micronesia, we created a method for producing estimates of households and household population using 30-meter grid cells derived from satellite imagery.
Density Analysis
NORC uses spatial modeling to measure exposure of study populations to discrete geographic phenomena while avoiding aggregation bias. We used adaptive-bandwidth kernel density estimation to create population-adjusted maps of tobacco retailer density across the United States, helping the Truth Foundation compare how retail presence in communities of different population sizes.
Routing
NORC uses GIS software to calculate street network distances and drive times, creating efficient routes between addresses. For the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan Monitoring (MA/PDP) Methods Project, we calculated the average road network distance between beneficiaries in plan service areas and in-network providers and summarized the results to make generalizations about provider availability by urbanicity.
Creating Comparable Geographic Units
NORC can combine geographic units to create areas with comparable populations. For the Healthy Illinois Survey, we created geographic units that combine municipalities in Illinois to meet a minimum threshold of survey respondents to report data without risk of disclosure.
Data Linkage & Geocoding
Administrative Data Linkage
NORC links information at different geographic levels (address, tract, ZIP code) to support analysis of data that share spatial components and facilitate small area estimation. For the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, we aggregated hundreds of administrative datasets together to create the AHRQ Social Determinants of Health Database.
Geocoding
NORC has considerable experience geocoding large data sets, including those with millions of records and hundreds of fields. The Medicare Current Beneficiary Study (MCBS), the General Social Survey, the Survey of Consumer Finances, and others have required geocoding lists containing millions of addresses and/or participants efficiently and accurately.
Geographic Data Collection
NORC collects geographic data for many studies. For the General Social Survey, we maintain a database of geographically linked field notes for difficult-to-survey areas.
Raster Data Linkage
NORC uses zonal statistics to extract discrete measures from data represented by continuous geographic surfaces. As part of the Chicago Health and Activity in Real Time project with the NIH, we used data collected from the Array of Things air quality monitors to derive raster air pollution datasets. These data were linked to the GPS coordinates of respondents tracked across several days to calculate an exposure index to air particulates.
Site Suitability Analysis
NORC uses geospatial tools to help clients with site selection. For the Cosmic Explorer project, we created a spatial index using small area estimates from the GSS to determine where the social landscape would be hospitable for a new gravitational-wave observatory.
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Maps & Data Visualization
Cartographic Products
NORC creates thematic maps to identify spatial patterns in data. The State of Illinois used our maps of housing units and group quarters to revise population counts created by the Census.
Dashboards for Data Dissemination
NORC builds informative, functional, interactive mapping dashboards to disseminate research results. With a grant from the National Institute on Aging, we built the Dementia Datahub tool to show county-level measures of Alzheimer’s prevalence, incidence, and mortality.
Dashboards for Survey Analysis
NORC prepares geographic dashboards that show in-depth information about surveys as they are being conducted. For AP-VoteCast, we developed a secure, interactive dashboard for data vendors that displays real-time voting patterns and updates live throughout election night.
Survey Field Planning
NORC builds interactive dashboards used in survey field planning. For the NLSY, we used a mapping dashboard and routing software to assist field managers with planning the most efficient routes for field interviewers to take to manage their caseload.
