ISPRS, Vol.34, Part 2W2, “Dynamic and Multi-Dimensional GIS”, Bangkok, May 23-25, 2001 
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THE APPLICATION OF CENTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS TO THE STUDY OF THE INTRA-URBAN MIGRATORY 
PHENOMENON 
IN THE GREATER MONCTON AREA IN CANADA, 1981-1996 
Huhua CAO 
Associate Professor 
Department of Geography 
University de Moncton 
Moncton, New Brunswick 
Canada E1A3E9 
Tel: (506)858-4246 
Fax: (506) 858-4166 
E-Mail: caohuhua@umoncton.ca 
KEY WORDS: centrographic technique, spatiotemporal analysis, Université de Moncton, Acadian 
ABSTRACT 
Centrographic analysis is a statistical technique that has been used for more than a century and that has experienced a rapid renewal 
over the last few years, in large part due to its integration in geographic information systems (GIS). Through the use of this 
centrographic technique, a series of spatiotemporal analyses were performed in a GIS on the intra-urban migratory phenomenon in the 
Greater Moncton area. Greater Moncton, in the heart of the Maritimes in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada, is the only urban region 
in Canada with such a high degree of cohabitation between Acadians and Anglophones, who are in the majority. However, despite their 
minority status, over the years, Acadians have become more and more present in New Brunswick society through the creation of 
Acadian institutions in the fields of education and financial services. The aim of the current research is to study the various behaviours 
of Acadian and Anglophone inhabitants in their urban practices. Our analyses show that the more or less homogeneous distribution of 
Anglophones gradually occupied almost all the space in the Greater Moncton area between 1981 and 1996. Unlike this dynamic, the 
trend of the concentration of Acadians in the northwest and northeast, descending into the southeast, and in particular the migratory 
trend of Acadians toward the residential areas close to the Université de Moncton has become a remarkable phenomenon in the region 
being studied. Consequently, it reminds us of the vital role that the Université de Moncton, as an Acadian institution, has played in the 
growth of the Acadian milieus in the Moncton area over the course of the past decades. 
1.INTRODUCTION 
The development of a fully adequate theory of regional 
analysis by statistical means was one of the principal 
longstanding problems of geography. Neither maps nor 
statistics alone are enough; they must be brought together. 
Centrographical analysis is a perfect example of this 
combination. It is an aggregate of indicators that allows the 
description and measurement of the global characteristics of 
the distribution of spatial phenomena. This type of analysis 
provides the equivalent of statistical measures of central 
tendencies and dispersion, adapted for a two-dimensional 
geographical space (Caprio, 1970). Jones (1980) presents 
centrographic measures as describing the three most 
important characteristics of a spatial phenomenon: its location, 
dispersion and form. The idea of measuring the center of 
population distribution using centrography originated a century 
ago, as far as can be determined. Hilgard (1872) has been 
credited as the first person to compute a reliable census, when 
he attempted, in 1872, to trace the movement of the population 
of the United States as it expanded westward. Since that time, 
there have been many important developments in this field, 
and other closely related fields, for example, the creation of 
new methods, the correction of various errors and 
misconceptions, and the clarification of the interpretation of 
computed results. Over recent years, centrographic analysis 
has evolved quickly, in large part due to its integration in 
Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It is also being 
increasingly applied in different fields. 
2.HISTORICAL CONTEXT 
In the heart of Canada’s Maritime provinces, we find a unique 
urban region: the Greater Moncton area, whose unique 
characteristic is the cohabitation of Acadians and 
Anglophones. This mostly bicultural region, which includes 
three communities, Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe, is located 
in southern New Brunswick on the Petitcodiac River, about 
40 kilometres from the mouth of the Bay of Fundy. Over the 
years, this population cluster has made itself known across the 
country and even throughout international Francophonie. The 
roots of the region are found in the city of Moncton, which grew 
from a small 
Acadian colony. Following the deportation of the Acadians in 
1755, the area was abandoned until the arrival of Dutch and 
German immigrants in 1766. However, Moncton 1 , which was 
named for Robert Monckton, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the 
English army, marked the beginning of English domination 
and, under him, became a center for the shipbuilding industry 
(Brun, 1999). In 1855, Moncton was incorporated as a town 
(Pelletier and Arsenault, 1977), but its charter was only 
adopted in 1862. In around 1887, Moncton experienced a 
marked boom following the establishment of the corporate 
headquarters of the Intercolonial Railway, which later became 
Canadian National Railways or CN. 
Due to its excellent geographic location, Moncton was the 
Maritimes’ railway center for nearly a century before becoming, 
in the 1960s, a major distribution and services center. Today 
Moncton plays a key role in the development of the Maritimes 
as an important center for the high-tech and 
telecommunications sectors (Cormier, 1995). It is also the only 
Canadian region with such a high concentration of Acadians, 
who are still in the minority. 
For the past thirty years, with the creation of Acadian 
institutions in the fields of education and financial services, 
such as the Université de Moncton, the Acadian cooperative 
society and Assumption Life, Acadians have become 
increasingly present in New Brunswick society, particularly in 
the Moncton area (Beaudin, 1993). The Acadians who are now 
living in urban regions in New Brunswick come from rural 
areas that are mostly Francophone. They have a high level of 
education and have moved to be closer to employment 
opportunities that offer more possibilities in terms of 
professional careers (Beaudin and Boudreau, 1994). In fact, 
1 At the time, the name was written “Monckton”.