Categorical Data Analysis by Means of Echelon Analysis with Spatial Scan Statistics

In this study we analyze categorical data by means of spatial statistics and echelon analysis. To do this, we first determine the hierarchical structure of a given contingency table by using echelon dendrogram then, we detect candidates of hotspots given as the top echelon in the dendrogram. Next, we evaluate spatial scan statistics for the zones of significantly high or low rates based on the likelihood ratio. Finally, we detect hotspots of any size and shape based on spatial scan statistics.