Geostatistics
- Analyzes and models patterns and relationships in spatially referenced data.
- Applied in geography and earth sciences (for example, soil science and geology).
- Common techniques include kriging (interpolation) and variography (examining spatial variability).
Definition
Section titled “Definition”Geostatistics is a branch of statistics that deals with spatial data. It is used to analyze and model spatial patterns and relationships in data, often in the field of geography or earth sciences. Geostatistics uses a variety of techniques, such as kriging and variography, to analyze and model spatial data.
Explanation
Section titled “Explanation”Geostatistics treats measurements as spatially referenced observations and focuses on identifying and modeling the spatial patterns and dependencies among those observations. Techniques like kriging provide interpolation methods to estimate values at unsampled locations, while variography examines the spatial variability of the data to characterize how similarity changes with distance.
Examples
Section titled “Examples”Soil science
Section titled “Soil science”Soil scientists collect soil samples from different locations in a field and measure properties such as pH, nutrient levels, and texture. These measurements are spatial data because they are associated with specific locations. Using geostatistics, the scientist can analyze these measurements to identify spatial patterns. For example, kriging can be used to create a map of the field showing how soil pH varies across the area, helping identify zones that are more acidic or alkaline and informing decisions about which crops to plant.
Geology
Section titled “Geology”Geologists collect data on the distribution of rock types in a region, such as the presence of different minerals or types of rock formations. These observations are spatially referenced. Geostatistical analysis, for example using variography to examine spatial variability, can identify areas where different rock types are more or less likely to occur. This information can be used to predict the likelihood of finding certain rock types and to guide exploration and mining activities.
Use cases
Section titled “Use cases”- Soil science: mapping soil properties and informing agricultural decisions.
- Geology: mapping rock type distributions and guiding exploration and mining.
- Geography and other earth-science applications involving spatial data analysis.
Related terms
Section titled “Related terms”- Kriging
- Variography