Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24971885›Full record

ArticlePloS one2014

Modifiable temporal unit problem (MTUP) and its effect on space-time cluster detection.

Tao Cheng, Monsuru Adepeju

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
25citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

25 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Making Space in Geographical Analysis.Geographical analysis · 2023
    Article
  8. Methodological Challenges in Spatial and Contextual Exposome-Health Studies.Critical reviews in environmental science and technology · 2023
    Article
  9. Accelerating ethics, empathy, and equity in geographic information science.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2022
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Modelling the Relationship between Rainfall and Mental Health Using Different Spatial and Temporal Units.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Effects of Data Aggregation on Time Series Analysis of Seasonal Infections.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Tao ChengSpaceTimeLab, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT London, the United Kingdom.
Monsuru AdepejuSpaceTimeLab, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT London, the United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWhen analytical techniques are used to understand and analyse geographical events, adjustments to the datasets (e.g. aggregation, zoning, segmentation etc.) in both the spatial and temporal dimensions are often carried out for various reasons. The 'Modifiable Areal Unit Problem' (MAUP), which is a consequence of adjustments in the spatial dimension, has been widely researched. However, its temporal counterpart is generally ignored, especially in space-time analysis.

methodsIn analogy to MAUP, the Modifiable Temporal Unit Problem (MTUP) is defined as consisting of three temporal effects (aggregation, segmentation and boundary). The effects of MTUP on the detection of space-time clusters of crime datasets of Central London are examined using Space-Time Scan Statistics (STSS). RESULTS AND

conclusionThe case study reveals that MTUP has significant effects on the space-time clusters detected. The attributes of the clusters, i.e. temporal duration, spatial extent (size) and significance value (p-value), vary as the aggregation, segmentation and boundaries of the datasets change. Aggregation could be used to find the significant clusters much more quickly than at lower scales; segmentation could be used to understand the cyclic patterns of crime types. The consistencies of the clusters appearing at different temporal scales could help in identifying strong or 'true' clusters.

Indexed as

Geography

Identifiers

PMID24971885
PMCPMC4074055

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.