Purpose of Identifying Geographic Overrepresentation
This page explains the risk of geographic overrepresentation that arises when residential listings in Kampala disproportionately reference certain areas. The purpose is to clarify why visibility concentration should not be interpreted as residential concentration, importance, or dominance.
The discussion defines a decision boundary that prevents conflation between listing exposure and underlying residential presence.
Mechanisms Driving Overrepresentation
Geographic overrepresentation occurs when certain areas are more frequently named or surfaced in listings due to publisher preferences, platform defaults, or commonly recognized location labels. These mechanisms influence how listings are categorized and discovered.
The resulting visibility reflects naming conventions and exposure pathways rather than comprehensive residential coverage.
Role of Platform and Publisher Behavior
Platforms may promote or prioritize specific location fields, while publishers may favor widely recognized area names to improve listing exposure. This behavior amplifies visibility for certain geographies independent of actual residential distribution.
Areas with less standardized or less recognized naming conventions may therefore appear underrepresented or absent.
Structural Exclusion and Visibility Bias
Geographic overrepresentation is reinforced by the exclusion of informal housing, privately mediated residences, and areas with limited platform engagement. These exclusions are uneven across the city and compound visibility bias.
The dataset does not correct for these structural imbalances.
Interpretive Boundaries
Apparent geographic dominance in listings should be interpreted strictly as a visibility artifact. It cannot be used to infer residential scale, density, or importance of any area within Kampala.
This risk applies uniformly across all market and comparison pages that reference geographic visibility.