The Use of Exhaustive Micro-Data Firm Databases for Economic Geography: The Issues of Geocoding and Usability in the Case of the Amadeus Database

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information

Moritz Lennert¹ 

[1] Department of Geography, Free University of Bruxelles (ULB), CP 130/03, Av. F.D. Roosevelt 50, 1050 Brussels, Belgium; E-Mail

关键词: micro-data;    firms;    economic geography;    Europe;    Amadeus;    geocoding;    INSPIRE;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijgi4010062

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Economic geography has begun to explore the options involved in micro-data. New databases have become available and new techniques and an increase in computer power allow their treatment. However, two major issues impede the use of these datasets: the lack of geocoded spatial location and lack of exhaustivity in coverage. In this article, I explore the possibilities of using large micro-scale firm databases for economic geography in Europe. I show that current evolution in European official spatial data dissemination alows for geocoding of such databases using means that are accessible for researchers with minimal programming knowledge. For the specific case of the Amadeus database of the Bureau Van Dijk, I show that its limitations in terms of coverage have to be taken into acount, but do not hinder its use for analysis. Resulting maps show how the data allows to go further than classic databases such as the Eurostat Structural Business Statistics.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.