In this chapter, we will encounter the visualization and analytical techniques of exploring the relationships between place and time and between the places themselves.

The data derived from temporal and spatial relationships is useful in learning more about the geographic objects that we are studying—from hydrological features to population units. This is particularly true if the data is not directly available for the geographic object of interest: either for a particular variable, for a particular time, or at all.

In this example, we will look at the demographic data from the US Census applied to the State House Districts, for election purposes. Elected officials often want to understand how the neighborhoods in their jurisdictions are changing demographically. Are their constituents becoming younger or more affluent? Is unemployment rising? Demographic factors can be used to predict the issues that will be of interest to potential voters and thus may be used...