Locationally

Locationally is an adverb used to indicate that something relates to, depends on, or varies with geographic location. It is formed from the adjective locational, which itself derives from location. In English, locationally is most often found in technical or academic writing where researchers emphasize place-specific variation rather than general, across-space patterns.

Etymology and usage context: Locationally follows the standard -ly derivation pattern from locational. The term is typical in fields that analyze spatial heterogeneity, such as geography, urban planning, ecology, archaeology, and geographic information science. It serves to distinguish phenomena that change from place to place from those that are uniform across space.

Applications and examples: Locationally can describe models, measurements, or phenomena that differ by location. For instance, a locationally varying coefficient model estimates parameters that differ by region, while locationally weighted smoothing adjusts estimates according to proximity to observed data points. In prose, one might say a study examines locationally dependent risk factors, meaning risks differ by locale.

Relationship to related terms: Locationally is closely related to spatially, geographically, and location-based terminology. It offers a precise way to attribute spatial dependence to a specific place or set of places, though it is less common in everyday language. In many contexts, authors may choose the broader terms spatially or geographically for accessibility.

See also: spatial analysis, geographic information systems, geostatistics, locational.