S-maup: Statistic test to measure the sensitivity to the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem

Abstract

This work presents a nonparametric statistical test, $S$-maup, to measure the sensitivity of a spatially intensive variable to the effects of the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP). $S$-maup is the first statistic of its type and focuses on determining how much the distribution of the variable, at its highest level of spatial disaggregation, will change when it is spatially aggregated. Through a computational experiment, we obtain the basis for the design of the statistical test under the null hypothesis of non-sensitivity to MAUP. We performed a simulation study for approaching the empirical distribution of the statistical test, obtaining its critical values, and computing its power and size. The results indicate that the power of the statistic is good if the sample (number of areas) grows, and in general, the size decreases with increasing sample number. Finally, an empirical application is made using the Mincer equation in South Africa.