You Can’t Spell Map without R
Around the world, Universities are teaching their undergraduate psychology students how to analyze their data on a statistical software called SPSS. So why is SPSS the software of choice for so many colleges and Universities? SPSS has been in the market for a while and lots of jobs use SPSS to analyze their data, which gives students who learn SPSS a way to distinguish themselves as an applicant. According to IBM[Office1] , SPSS is meant to convey the principles and application of statistical research in a quick, efficient, and effective way.
Since SPSS has been around a while and has a rooted itself in some companies, when does R surpass SPSS? There are multiple reasons why R is superior to SPSS, the first and easiest reason is that it is free. With a lot of companies looking for ways to cut costs, a free way of analyzing data is just one more way that companies can utilize money elsewhere. Another reason is many companies are starting to base their software around scripting languages, such as Esri. Esri, a geospatial company, created ArcGis to use the analysis capabilities of R in order to apply data to help all different types of industries from Commercial to Government.
While SPSS has the ability to create histograms, R has the ability to combine mapping with statistics that can reveal insight into your data. When combined with the ArcGIS Bridge R has the ability to transfer data between itself and ArcGIS. This bridge gives R access to a vast amount mapping and modeling tools, allowing your data to look like the map above. These maps allow a range of benefits from Law Enforcement to track crime patterns to developing the maps used by PokemonGo. When combined with ArcGis, R is far superior to anything SPSS could achieve.
While R is more challenging to start for undergraduate students, who may or may not have programming experience, learning a scripting language opens many doors in industries looking to utilize maps. When applied in the classroom, 12/13 students in the pilot program were open to the change from SPSS to R at the Univeristy of Glasgow, Scotland. Many of these students found that R allowed them to understand the statistics better and felt more engaged within the process.
If anyone is interested in learning more about ArcGIS or about Esri, I have provided links below. While many people think that mapping wouldn’t be as interesting to psychologists or researchers, there are some ArcGIS tutorials that you are able to track crime patterns within the city or market research.
Learn ArcGIS:
References
IBM (2010) IBM SPSS statistics prepares students for the real world of research. Retrieved from ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/software/data/sw-library/spss/SPSS_PennStateNewKensington_cs.pdf
Dalejbarr (2016, September 8). No more excuses: R is better than SPSS for psychology undergrads, and students agree. Retrieved from https://datahowler.wordpress.com /2016/09/10/no-more-excuses-r-is-better-than-spss-for-psychology-undergrads-and-students-agree/
Mpobuda (2016, July 21). Put the ‘R’ in ArcGIS. Retrieved from https://blogs.esri.com/esri/arcgis/2016/07/21/put-the-r-in-arcgis-2/
