Spatial analysis
Introduction
Spatial analysis or Spatial statistics comprises the formal techniques that study entities that use their topological, geometric or geographical properties. Space analysis includes a variety of techniques, many still in development, using different analytical approaches and applied in fields as diverse as astronomy, with studies of the location of galaxies in the cosmos, to chip manufacturing engineering, with the use of 'place and route' algorithms, to construct complex wire structures. The phrase is often used in a more restricted sense to describe techniques applied to human-scale structures, especially in the analysis of geographic information. The phrase is sometimes even used to refer to a specific technique in a single area of research, for example to describe geostatistics.
Complex problems arise in spatial analysis, many of which are neither clearly defined nor completely resolved, but form the basis of current research. The most important of these is the problem of defining the spatial location of the entities being studied. For example, a study on human health may describe the spatial position of human beings with a point placed where they live, or with a point placed where they work, or by using a line to describe their weekly travel, each choice having dramatic effects on the techniques that can be used for analysis and the conclusions that can be drawn. Other issues in spatial analysis include the limitations of mathematical knowledge, the assumptions required by existing statistical techniques, and problems in computer-based calculations.
Classification of spatial analysis techniques is difficult due to the large number of different fields of research, the different fundamental approaches that can be chosen, and the many forms that data can take.
The spatial analysis is divided into five parts: place, environment, region, country.
The history of spatial analysis
Perhaps Spatial Analysis or Spatial Statistics can be considered to have emerged with the first attempts at cartography and topography, but many fields have contributed to its growth today. Biology contributed through botanical studies of global plant distribution and local plant locations, ethological studies of animal movement, studies of vegetation ecological landscapes. In epidemiology, they contributed to early work on disease mapping, in particular John Snow's work on a cholera outbreak in London dating back to 1854, to research on mapping the spread of the disease, and to location studies for the provision of medical care. These statistics have greatly contributed to the work in spatial statistics.