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On Geodetic Distance Computations in Spatial Modeling
Author(s) -
Banerjee Sudipto
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
biometrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.298
H-Index - 130
eISSN - 1541-0420
pISSN - 0006-341X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0420.2005.00320.x
Subject(s) - interpretability , computation , computer science , geodetic datum , algorithm , planar , software , data mining , interpretation (philosophy) , artificial intelligence , geography , cartography , computer graphics (images) , programming language
Summary Statisticians analyzing spatial data often need to detect and model associations based upon distances on the Earth's surface. Accurate computation of distances are sought for exploratory and interpretation purposes, as well as for developing numerically stable estimation algorithms. When the data come from locations on the spherical Earth, application of Euclidean or planar metrics for computing distances is not straightforward. Yet, planar metrics are desirable because of their easier interpretability, easy availability in software packages, and well‐established theoretical properties. While distance computations are indispensable in spatial modeling, their importance and impact upon statistical estimation and prediction have gone largely unaddressed. This article explores the different options in using planar metrics and investigates their impact upon spatial modeling.