Social Catchment Areas

Summary
In planning for non-metropolitan Australia it is important to use meaningful spatial units. Traditionally administrative units are the basic spatial unit. An alternative approach is the use of ‘social catchments’. Social catchments are, ‘The territory occupied by a group of households and individuals who are in some form of regular interaction and which the inhabitants identify as ‘their’ community or region. By storing, retrieving and analysing of vast amounts of individual and small area data’ Geographical Information Systems make user-defined social catchments possible. Such catchments can supplement or replace existing spatial units. This approach will provide diversity and flexibility in analysing, and planning for non-metropolitan Australia. .
Client:	Bureau of Rural Sciences
Project Manager:	Graeme Hugo (GISCA)
Year:	2001