Hugh Hibbert

The fact that there are certain inequalities in this world should not come as a surprise to anyone. However, if we continue to ignore these differences there is the potential that they will manifest themselves in the form of violence and civil unrest. But how can we measure and communicate such inequalities. It is felt that the public sector needs to follow the example set by the private sector with regards to identifying and targeting consumers, or individuals for marketing purposes. This paper provides an evaluation of geodemographics in social science, through techniques such as K-means cluster analysis. We created two cluster solutions using census data from 1996 and 200 I in an attempt to capture the residential location of Jamaican immigrants in the city of Toronto. One of the greatest benefits of K-means clustering is its ability to map several variables at the same time. The focus of this study is on the usability of maps to gauge the quality of life experienced in certain Toronto neighbourhoods. The results indicate that the functions available in GIS are both useful and valuable to assist in the analysis of Toronto neighbourhoods. However, there are some common issues with using aggregate data which will be discussed within the body of this paper.