Much of geographic analysis is looking at the distribution of a variable over a defined space, with a more specific concentration on the rate of change. You focus on the delta, or perhaps deviations from the normal variable surface - to quantify the relevance of growth patterns, data "spikes" and other spatial analysis.
Understanding units of geography, and how to comparable them, is often as important as the algorithmic interpretation of the data itself. Here is a visual of an early attempts to balance geographic units of analysis, spreading the delta of change over several geographies of size - while still all tide to a specific centroid - or center point.
It's akin to looking at an area for a specific value, but doing so with three different magnifying glasses, each set to a different scale.
The end result ... Change that is wildly variable at one scale, may be quite insignificant at another (and visa versa).
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