{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T09:33:40Z","timestamp":1777541620851,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Sociedade Brasileira de Computacao - SB","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,25]],"date-time":"2026-04-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777075200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JISA"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Urban analysis often relies on census or census-like survey data, but the redesign of census tract layers often breaks historical comparability, thereby hampering longitudinal studies at the local scale. In this article, we propose an automated methodology for making census tracts comparable through the construction of a graph, using spatial join operations and non-spatial id comparisons. We adopt an aggregative heuristic to minimize the impact of the matching process on analytical possibilities. To validate the proposed methodology, we deploy it to match the most recent Brazilian censuses for the S\u00e3o Paulo, Vit\u00f3ria, and Recife metropolitan regions, as well as for the Brazilian Federal District. We also test our implementation for New York City and Buenos Aires. We then evaluate the results against available gold standard data and alternative metrics, concluding with a discussion of potential improvements. Our implementation produces comparability files efficiently and has the potential to enable studies that would otherwise be impractical.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.5753\/jisa.2026.6795","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T17:20:58Z","timestamp":1777396858000},"page":"136-151","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Restoring Continuity: An Aggregative, Open-Source Methodology for Harmonizing Disparate Census Tracts Across Time"],"prefix":"10.5753","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4727-2989","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Pedro Henrique Rezende","family":"Mendon\u00e7a","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3888-7340","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fabio","family":"Kon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"3742","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Allen, J. and Taylor, Z. (2018). A new tool for neighbourhood change research: The Canadian Longitudinal Census Tract Database, 1971\u20132016. <i>Canadian Geographies \/ G\u00e9ographies canadiennes<\/i>, 62(4):575-588. DOI: <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/cag.12467\">10.1111\/cag.12467<\/a>.","DOI":"10.1111\/cag.12467"},{"key":"2","unstructured":"Barbosa, R. J. (2014). Comparabilidade das informa\u00e7\u00f5es dispon\u00edveis nos Censos (1960-2010) e PNADs (1976, 1985, 1995 e 2005). <i>S\u00e3o Paulo: Centro de Estudos da Metr\u00f3pole<\/i>. Available at:[<a href=\"https:\/\/centrodametropole.fflch.usp.br\/en\/file\/16809\/download?token=kdwWiMmW\">link<\/a>]."},{"key":"3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Breen, C. F. and Feehan, D. M. (2025). New Data Sources for Demographic Research. <i>Population and Development Review<\/i>, 51(1):539-573. 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Spatial interpolation using areal features: A review of methods and opportunities using new forms of data with coded illustrations. <i>Geography Compass<\/i>, 13(10):e12465. DOI: <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/gec3.12465\">10.1111\/gec3.12465<\/a>.","DOI":"10.1111\/gec3.12465"},{"key":"7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dias, F. and Silver, D. (2021). Neighborhood Dynamics with Unharmonized Longitudinal Data. <i>Geographical Analysis<\/i>, 53(2):170-191. DOI: <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/gean.12224\">10.1111\/gean.12224<\/a>.","DOI":"10.1111\/gean.12224"},{"key":"8","unstructured":"Flowerdew, R. and Openshaw, S. (1987). <i>A review of the problems of transferring data from one set of areal units to another incompatible set<\/i>. Northern Regional Research Laboratory. Book."},{"key":"9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gehlke, C. E. and Biehl, K. (1934). 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Available at:[<a href=\"http:\/\/bibdigital.sid.inpe.br\/dpi.inpe.br\/marte2\/2013\/05.28.23.11.10\">link<\/a>]."},{"key":"28","unstructured":"Rodr\u00edguez, G. M. (2021). Comparabilidad retrospectiva en la cartograf\u00eda censal digital del INDEC. estado actual, avances y desaf\u00edos en Argentina y la ciudad de Buenos Aires. <i>Poblaci\u00f3n de Buenos Aires<\/i>, 18(30):22-33. Available at:[<a href=\"https:\/\/ri.conicet.gov.ar\/handle\/11336\/169850\">link<\/a>]."},{"key":"29","unstructured":"Rodriguez, G. M. and de Grande, P. E. (2024). Base cartogr\u00e1fica de radios del censo argentino 2022: Primera versi\u00f3n revisada y corregida para uso en Sistemas de Informaci\u00f3n Geogr\u00e1fica. Available at:[<a href=\"https:\/\/ri.conicet.gov.ar\/handle\/11336\/238198\">link<\/a>]. Last access on: 2025-03-02."},{"key":"30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ruther, M., Leyk, S., and Buttenfield, B. P. (2015). 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Available at:[<a href=\"https:\/\/repositorio.ufba.br\/handle\/ri\/24036\">link<\/a>]."}],"container-title":["Journal of Internet Services and Applications"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals-sol.sbc.org.br\/index.php\/jisa\/article\/download\/6795\/3960","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals-sol.sbc.org.br\/index.php\/jisa\/article\/download\/6795\/3960","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,28]],"date-time":"2026-04-28T17:21:23Z","timestamp":1777396883000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals-sol.sbc.org.br\/index.php\/jisa\/article\/view\/6795"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,25]]},"references-count":36,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,9]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5753\/jisa.2026.6795","relation":{},"ISSN":["1869-0238"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1869-0238","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,25]]}}}