Areal Interpolation and Dasymetric Mapping Methods Using Local Ancillary Data Sources

This research contributes to the body of literature on areal interpolation and dasymetric mapping by introducing algorithms that make use of local ancillary data sources. The address weighting (AW) and parcel distribution (PD) methods are based on county address points and parcels. The algorithms can be effectively applied in rural and transitional areas where geographies are large and population counts are low. These new methods were compared to existing algorithms that use nationally available land cover and street network datasets. Compared with existing methods, the new methods yielded significant improvement in reducing estimate error for the study areas. Both new methods succeeded in maintaining high accuracy in both urban and rural areas. The research presents opportunities for increasing the accuracy of both areal interpolation and dasymetric mapping in areas where accurate local data are available.