| Why are the statistical data normalized? | ||||
|
|
||||
| The empirical data for the various indicators are in many different dimensions, such as numbers of people, area in square kilometers, degrees in Celsius, mm of precipitation, percentages, or duration in hours. It is therefore impossible to directly compare the regional variation in the various measures. They have to be transformed into common units. This is done by normalizing all measurements according to the following formula (see below). It returns a normalized value from a distribution characterized by mean and standard deviation (standard deviation must be > 0). | ||||
|
|
||||
 |
||||
|
||||
|
|
||||
| Heilig, G.K. (2004): RAPS-China. A Regional Analysis and Planning System. Laxenburg, Austria |
