Spatial Weights Matrix

Definition

A Spatial Weights Matrix (SWM) is a mathematical representation of spatial relationships between geographical features.

Formula

The spatial weights matrix is a NxN matrix where N is the number of modelled features (distinct entities) and matrix elements encode some measure of spatial relationship

Calculation Methods

• Binary weight (0/1 indicating whether entities are connected or not) (See also Adjacency Matrix)
• Continuous weights

Usage

In the context of Risk Management the spatial weights matrix captures potential associations

See Also

• Spatial Analysis