Arizona State University is awarded a grant to develop the Pattern Analysis, Spatial Statistics, and Geographic Exegesis 2.0 (PASSaGE 2) software for exploring, discovering, and analyzing spatial pattern of biological (and other) data. Spatial analysis is a fundamental part of scientific inquiry, including ecological, evolutionary and environmental science, epidemiology, geology, geography, and mathematics. Recent technological advances in genome sequencing, global positioning systems, and remote sensing have led to a rapid expansion of the number and size of spatially explicit datasets available for analysis. These new data have advanced the scope of spatial analysis to an even broader variety of human endeavors, but have also rapidly outpaced the capabilities of traditional spatial analytic software and methods. By building off strengths of PASSaGE 1 and expanding, adapting, and implementing existing computational algorithms for spatial analysis derived from a variety of research disciplines, PASSaGE 2 will support the import and analysis of numerous data types, including Unicode and ASCII text, spreadsheet files, images, and common Geographic Information Systems data formats; eliminate limits to data dimensionality for specific algorithms whenever possible; allow for flexible covariate and multivariate analysis through the extension of existing methods as well as the development of novel techniques; and increase the flexibility and quality of its graphical output to allow better visual representation of data and results and for the production of publication ready graphics. The broader impacts of this project are to enhance the scientific research and educational infrastructure by providing freely available, easy-to-use tools that allow researchers and students from around the world to easily conduct and explore complicated spatial analyses.
