Geographic Concentration
Description
Definition: Geographic concentration analysis compares high or low concentrations of multiple variables to understand how location impacts client conditions. It often uses location quotients (LQs) to quantify concentrations.
Purpose: Highlights areas where services could be ramped up to better meet client need, and pinpoints "hotspots" or regions with specific emerging needs or resources.
Examples:
- Identifying neighborhoods with higher-than-expected concentrations of eviction cases.
- Comparing service levels with poverty concentrations across regions.
Key Insight: Concentration analysis reveals the interplay between variables and locations, helping you understand how geographic factors influence service needs or outcomes.
Example Data Question
In what counties do we provide more extended service than brief service?
Recreate This Analysis
Data Sources
Closed Case data from your case management system, including:
- Data that indicated the level of service provided, such as closing code
- Open date and close date
- County (or other geographic field such as zip code)
- Other case information that you might be able to use in other analyses, demographics, etc.
Exclude cases that were identified as errors or duplicates and cases that ended up not being served
Example Analyses Steps
- Export the total cases closed (exclude cases not served) from your CMS to a spreadsheet for the most recently completed year.
- Sort the cases by county. Review the counties and remove any that aren’t actual county names or aren’t in your service area. You may have to combine data if counties show up with multiple spellings.
- Subtotal all cases closed, cases closed with brief service (closed with A or B), and cases closed with extended service (closed with F-L). Then, calculate the percentage of cases closed with brief service and extended service in each county.
- You should have a spreadsheet that simply shows County, Total Cases, Brief Service Cases, Extended Service Cases, % Brief Service Cases, and % Extended Service Cases.
- Login to Microsoft Power BI (create an account if you don’t already have one).
- Click on Get Data, then Excel, find the spreadsheet you just created, and click Open. Note that your spreadsheet will need to be in Microsoft Excel Worksheet format for Microsoft Power BI to import it into your document.
- Double click on the name of the sheet in your spreadsheet and then click Load.
- Insert a Filled Map Visualization.
- Enter County as Location and % Extended Service Cases as Legend.
- Adjust the formatting as you prefer to show the variation in Extended Services by county.
- Use the automatic Legend or create your own using shapes with titles.
- In order to include the map in other documents, you will have to take screen shots.
Related Questions You May Ask
- Where do those receiving limited services or extended services live, and how does this vary by specific demographics, groups, or legal problems?
- Where do those achieving positive outcomes versus those not achieving positive outcomes live, and how does this vary by specific demographics, groups, or legal problems?
- Where do those served by staff versus those served by pro bono volunteers live, and how does this vary by specific demographics, groups, or legal problems?
- Are certain types of cases that require more time or less time coming from specific geographic areas?
- Do we tend to provide extended services for clients who live near our offices?