Introduction to spatial microsimulation: History, methods and applications

Spatial microsimulation is a recent addition to the microsimulation field, with early papers by Wilson and Pownall (Area 8:246–254, 1976) and Clarke et al. (A strategic planning simulation model of a district health service system: the in-patient component and results. In: van Elmeren W, Engelbrecht R, Flagle CD (eds) Systems science in health care. Springer, Berlin, 1984). The models created using spatial microsimulation usually come from geographers interested in modelling spatial patterns, but social researchers and economists are also very aware of the importance of location in their research, and many of the spatial microsimulation models have been developed with economic, social research and health topics in mind. This chapter outlines how spatial microsimulation has developed since the early models and also describes some of the applications of spatial microsimulation models and the future of spatial microsimulation.