How does TerraPop attach area-level data and raster data to microdata?
Microdata records include codes identifying the geographic unit within which an individual lives and area-level data include similar codes identifying the unit described by the record. These codes can be used to link microdata and area-level data and connect both types of data to real-world locations through boundary data (shapefiles). To attach contextual variables derived from raster data, the raster data are first summarized to area-level data (see ), and the resulting area-level data are attached to the microdata using the geographic unit codes.