Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
to minimize the ef ects of noise in order to correct all kinds of unwanted
distortions or to separate various components of interest. It includes the
design and realization of i lters, and their application to the data. h ese
methods are widely used in combination with time-series analysis, e.g., to
increase the signal-to-noise ratio in climate time series, digital images or
geophysical data.
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Spatial analysis
- h is is the analysis of parameters in 2D or 3D space and
hence two or three of the required parameters are coordinate numbers.
h ese methods include descriptive tools to investigate the spatial pattern
of geographically distributed data. Other techniques involve spatial
regression analysis to detect spatial trends. Also included are 2D and 3D
interpolation techniques, which help to estimate surfaces representing
the predicted continuous distribution of the variable throughout the area.
Examples are drainage-system analysis, the identii cation of old landscape
forms and lineament analysis in tectonically active regions.
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Image processing
- h e processing and analysis of images has become
increasingly important in earth sciences. h ese methods involve importing
and exporting, compressing and decompressing, and displaying images.
Image processing also aims to enhance images for improved intelligibility,
and to manipulate images in order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.
Advanced techniques are used to extract specii c features or analyze
shapes and textures, such as for counting mineral grains or fossils in
microscope images. Another important application of image processing
is in the use of satellite remote sensing to map certain types of rocks, soils
and vegetation, as well as other parameters such as soil moisture, rock
weathering and erosion.
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Multivariate analysis
- h ese methods involve the observation and
analysis of more than one statistical variable at a time. Since the graphical
representation of multidimensional data sets is dii cult, most of these
methods include dimension reduction. Multivariate methods are widely
used on geochemical data, for instance in tephrochronology where volcanic
ash layers are correlated by geochemical i ngerprinting of glass shards.
Another important usage is in the comparison of species assemblages in
ocean sediments for the reconstruction of paleoenvironments.
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Analysis of directional data
- Methods to analyze circular and spherical
data are widely used in earth sciences. Structural geologists measure
