Spatial Data in Undergraduate Statistics Curriculum

In this article we present and discuss the importance and relevance of the inclusion of spatial data analysis as part of the undergraduate statistics curriculum. Given its usefulness and applicability across a range of disciplines, spatial data are a topic that should receive more emphasis within undergraduate statistics curricula. There exist many topical and intriguing spatial datasets from different areas of research that can bring fruitful discussions into the classroom including the environment, medicine, and political science. Spatial data can be incorporated at any level of study, from lower to upper division courses, as well as graduate-level courses in Mathematics and Statistics. This article will focus on its role in undergraduate statistics curricula, and present topics that can be included in an introductory course, a mathematical course in statistics, and an elective course in spatial data analysis. Supplemental materials for this article are available online.