Different from conventional research methods, spatial study is designed to apply GIS to study space, time and mapping, all of which are valuable in analyzing religious institutions, sites and locations. Supported by multiple spatial, digital and statistical methods, this workshop selects eight cities and prefectures in China to examine the Islamic mosques based on accessible government data. Following the discussion of the methodologies and data, the workshop focuses on the density of the Muslim population in the selected cities by calculating the average number of Muslims attending one mosque. In addition, this workshop applies a spatial method, the Location Analysis Method, to scrutinize the availability of Islamic mosques by measuring the average distance between Chinese Muslim residential areas and their nearest mosque. Furthermore, this workshop employs two different spatial methods, the Two Step Floating Catchment Area and the Network Analysis Method, to investigate the accessibility of mosques by means of estimating the average driving time required for Muslims to reach the nearest mosque. After comparing the average rankings of density, availability and accessibility of mosques in the eight cities and prefectures, this workshop proposes three criteria for determining the accessibility of mosques in Xinjiang and Ningxia, two areas with heavy concentration of Muslim population in China.

LEVEL: Beginner
NOTES: N/A