Introduction to "Spatial Explorer of Religion” Shuming Bao China Data Center The University of Michigan

Background: “Spatial Study of Religion and Society” Supported by the Henry Luce Foundation The project aims: promoting research, teaching, learning, and training on the spatial studies of religions and society in China. Plans: Research References Collection Research System Development Research Training Features: Accessibility Usability Expandability Free for academic users 2

Participants: Purdue University The University of Michigan Purdue University Calumet Renmin University East China Normal University Wuhan University Central University of Finance and Economics Xiamen University Fudan University Shanghai University Henan University Nanjing University of Forestry Lanzhou University Pioneer High School 3

Spatial Explorer of Religion Spatial Intelligence for Space-Time Data Integration and Analysis Statistics Charts Tables Reports Census Modeling Maps GIS PySAL StatGeo

Data Sources: Authoritative, Unique, Comprehensive Government Statistics Provincial Statistics (1949 - ) City Statistics (1996 - ) County Statistics (1997 - ) Population Census Census 1953 (GRID) Census 1964 (GRID) Census 1982 (GRID) Census 1990 (GRID) Census 2000 (province, city, county, township, GRID) Economic Census Industrial Census 1995 (province, city, county, ZIP) Basic Unit Census 2001 (province, city, county, ZIP) Economic Census 2004 (province, city, county, ZIP) Establishments (individual companies and organizations) Industrial Census(1995) Basic Unit Census (2001) Economic Census (2004) Geography and Environment Land Use data (GRID) Night-Time data (GRID) Transportation (railway, highway, roads) Rivers and Lakes More layers to be added … Province Prefecture County Township ZIP Sq Km Grid 5

Featured Functions Data Selection By administrative units (province, city, county, township) By groups By location (X&Y) and spatial range (km or miles) By time-series statistics (province, city and county) By establishments (province, city, county and ZIP) Reporting Summary report Comparison report Original data report Spatial Analysis Graphic analysis ESDA spatial statistics OLS regression Spatial Regression Export 输出 Data tables (Excel) Reports (Excel, Word, PDF) GIS files (Shape) Maps (PDF)

Exploratory – Modeling - Simulation What We Can Do with RGE? Exploratory – Modeling - Simulation Identify the spatial patterns of religious distribution Identify the spatial trends of religious development over the time Identify the spatial interactions between different religions Identify the spatial interactions between religions and other aspects of the society over the time and space (such as demographic and socioeconomic development) Evaluate possible policy impacts on local religious development Look forward to the future: scenario analysis

Building A Global Network for Spatial Study of Religion and Society http://religioninchina.org Involvement – interaction - international