It could be argued that the defining element of interaction data is the linkage between origins and destinations and the flow between those points.

• It could be argued that the defining element of interaction data is the linkage between origins and destinations and the flow between those points.

• Classification of flows has been carried out before – ‘functional regionalisation’ used by Coombes et al. (1986, 2002) to create Travel To Work Areas creates sets of contiguous areas based upon commuting flow data.

• The same technique used with migration data to create Housing Market Areas (Coombes et al., 2004).

• Classifying flows tends to create sets of contiguous areas, although contiguity may be an unnecessary constraint in an interaction data classification.

Notes:

The question is, what is more important, the migrant or their movement? It could be argued that where the focus is the effect of the individuals moving in or out of an area, then the flow itself is immaterial.

If the purpose of the classification is to form part of the wider research process and leads into other areas such as migration modelling then the attributes associated with the migrant rather than the flows could prove more important.