Using the Average Nearest Neighbor tool

The Average Nearest Neighbor tool calculates a nearest neighbor index based on the average distance from each feature to its nearest neighboring feature. For each feature in a dataset, the distance to its nearest neighbor is computed. An average distance is then computed.

The average distance is compared to the expected average distance. In doing so, an Average Nearest Neighbor (ANN) ratio is created which in simple terms is the ratio of observed/expected. If the ratio is less than 1, we can say that the data exhibits a clustered pattern, whereas a value greater than 1 indicates a dispersed pattern in our data.

The ANN ratio created as a result of piding the observed distance by the expected distance creates a value between 0 and 1. If the ratio is less than 1, we can say that the data exhibits a clustered pattern, whereas a value greater than 1 indicates a dispersed pattern in our data.