MODERN GIS CERTIFICATION

G1: Spatial Autocorrelation

This brick introduces the essential methods for detecting spatial patterns and identifying hotspots in your data.

 

You’ll get hands-on experience with techniques like:

 

  • Moran’s I for measuring spatial autocorrelation

  • Getis-Ord Gi* for pinpointing statistically significant clusters

Register & Get Started for $49

Brick G1 – Core Competencies 

  1. Spatial Autocorrelation Fundamentals
    Understand concepts of spatial dependence and clustering, and when to use measures like Moran’s I and Getis-Ord Gi*.

  2. Hotspot & Cluster Detection
    Apply PySAL’s statistical tools to identify significant high/low value clusters in spatial datasets.

  3. Efficient Large-Scale Processing
    Leverage DuckDB and GeoPandas to run spatial statistics on millions of records without desktop bottlenecks.

  4. Visualization & Interpretation
    Create interactive choropleths to visualize patterns and communicate findings clearly.

What you'll learn

✅ The key concepts behind spatial autocorrelation and hotspot analysis.
✅ How to calculate Moran’s I and Getis-Ord Gi* using PySAL.
✅ Techniques for scaling analysis with DuckDB and GeoPandas.
✅ Real-world applications for detecting clusters and patterns.

Learn by doing

You’ll learn by doing: coding inside a live cloud-based environment and running real code with best practices embedded.

Format

💻 4–6 hours to complete
🧪 Interactive notebook environment in Gitpod
✅ Autograded tests for completion
📛 Earn a verifiable Open Badge upon passing
🔁 Self-paced – start anytime
Lesson Skills

G1 Certified Skills

Full list of skills and tools used during this certification track. Anyone who has the validated badge for this track has used these tools and skills.

– Understand spatial dependence, clustering, and when to use global vs. local measures.
– Interpret the meaning of positive, negative, and no autocorrelation.

– Compute global Moran’s I to measure overall spatial autocorrelation.
– Assess statistical significance through permutation tests.

– Apply local Gi* to detect statistically significant hotspots and coldspots.
– Interpret z-scores and p-values for decision-making.

– Use DuckDB and GeoPandas to handle millions of spatial records.
– Optimize joins, filtering, and aggregations for performance.

 

– Create choropleth maps to illustrate spatial patterns.
– Use interactive mapping tools to make results explorable.

– Structure code for repeatable spatial statistics projects.
– Save and share outputs for peer review and collaboration.

Affordable plans

Flexible pricing to suit every team size

Choose from scalable pricing options that grow with your team’s needs and budget.

🔥 START G1 BRICK 🔥

G1 Brick

Learn the complete track and how to interweave skills in a Capstone seminar

$ 49
  • Full G1 Brick content
  • Certification badge on completion
  • Cloud resources and code
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Full Brick Track

Learn the complete track and how to interweave skills in a Capstone seminar

$ 149
  • Access to all 4 G-Track Bricks
  • Certifications for each Brick
  • Capstone seminar for the track
  • Capstone certifiation
Get the Full G Track
Modern GIS

Spatial Lab Membership

Get full access to additional tracks, community resources, and live cohort events.

$ 19 /month
  • Access to the G-Track and other upcoming tracks
  • Community supported learning with other learners
  • Access to live events for this track
  • Much more...
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