Spatial microsimulation is a large and complex topic, with over 30 years of history. It is therefore impossible to provide a comprehensive introduction to the topic in a single 1.5 day course.

There are opportunities for further study before and after undertaking the course, however. For a broader introduction to the technique of spatial microsimulation in technical terms, readers are directed towards Lovelace and Ballas (2013). This is an open access paper so the full version of it is available to anyone. Another useful resource describing the methods available for spatial microsimulation is by Smith et al. (2009).

For a more general introduction to spatial microsimulation, Birkin and Clarke (2009) provide a clear overview of the most important developments in the field.

There are plans to use the teaching materials developed for this course as the basis of a practical text book on the subject, so watch this space!