Introduction - Spatial Data Analysis: An Introduction for GIS Users - page 2

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exploring how two or more variables are related at dif erent places (e.g. does the

relationship between altitude and snowfall vary from place to place?)
estimating the values of some property (e.g. precipitation amount) at locations

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where there are no samples available (necessary as a prior stage to many other
procedures)
assessing the construction costs of alternative routes for a new road.

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h ere are many other kinds of approaches covered in this topic, but many are based on
common concepts such as measurement of distances or dif erences in properties in
dif erent areas. h ese fundamental concepts are described along with some particu-
larly widely used approaches and the selected approaches are illustrated with example
applications. h e emphasis throughout is on education rather than simply training ,
based on the conviction that users of spatial data analysis tools should know something
about how the approaches work rather than simply how to apply them. Appendix G
details some spatial analysis tasks and the sections of the topic that contain relevant
material. h e remainder of this chapter sets out the purpose of the topic and its
contents.

Purpose of the topic

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h e aim of this topic is to introduce a set of key ideas or frameworks that will give the
reader knowledge of the kinds of problems that can be tackled using widely available
tools for the analysis of spatial data. Another key concern is that readers understand
how the methods work, therefore a large majority of methods introduced are demon-
strated through small case studies. h e topic includes detailed coverage of a relatively
limited number of basic key methods for the analysis of spatial data. h ese are intended
to illustrate the workings of particular methods as well as to demonstrate key concepts
that will support understanding of other approaches.
h is is not an introduction to GIS. Readers who wish to know about, for example,
data models, databases, or visualization will i nd brief introductions in this topic,
although they should consult one of a range of textbooks such as those by Heywood
et al. (2006) or Longley et al. (2005a) for more in-depth accounts. A full description of
some key GIS algorithms (put simply, sets of instructions that are worked through to
achieve some particular objective) is provided by Wise (2002). In this topic, little prior
knowledge is assumed of readers. However, it is expected that readers will have some
basic knowledge of GIS principles. h e topic is also not an introduction to statistics,
although some key ideas are discussed. h e topic by Rogerson (2006) provides a good
introduction to statistics for geographers. Only a very limited prior knowledge of sta-
tistics is required to make full use of the present topic and it is an aim in this topic that
no terms likely to cause confusion will be dropped in without explanation. While it is
assumed that most readers will work through the topic systematically, it is designed so