Testing Reporting Bias in the Florida Sinkhole Database An Analysis of Sinkhole Occurrences in the Tampa Metropolitan Statistical Area

The sinkhole database of the Florida Geologic Survey (FGS) is the primary publicly-accessible database of recent sinkhole occurrence and distribution. However, it does not use a consistent and predictable approach to recording sinkhole occurrences. Thus, the possibility exists that the database is l...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSoutheastern geographer Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 38 - 52
Main Authors FLEURY, E. SPENCER, CARSON, STEVE, BRINKMANN, ROBERT
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chapel Hill Journal of the Southeastern Division, Association of American Geographers 01.05.2008
The University of North Carolina Press
University of North Carolina Press
Subjects
CD-ROM catalog
CD-ROM database
Census tracts
Censuses
Company distribution practices
Counties
Damage claims
Density
Distribution
Evaluation
Farming
Geological surveys
Geology
Insurance rates
Karst
Karsts
Population density
Population distribution
Population dynamics
Sinkholes
Florida
United States > US
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Summary:The sinkhole database of the Florida Geologic Survey (FGS) is the primary publicly-accessible database of recent sinkhole occurrence and distribution. However, it does not use a consistent and predictable approach to recording sinkhole occurrences. Thus, the possibility exists that the database is largely a reflection of the distribution of people in sinkhole-prone areas of Florida, rather than a true enumeration of all sinkholes that occur. In order to assess the validity of the data contained within the database, a comparison was made of population distribution and sinkhole occurrences. The results indicate that sinkhole reporting is not associated with population distribution, and that reporting bias is not a major problem with the data contained therein.
ISSN:0038-366X
1549-6929
1549-6929
DOI:10.1353/sgo.0.0012