The part about geostatistical data

• Geostatistical data: observations \(Z(s_1), ..., Z(s_n)\) of a spatially continuous variable \(Z\) collected at specific locations \(s_1, ..., s_n\).
• Geostatistical data ~ a partial realization of a random process \(Z(\cdot)\)
• Examples:
  • air pollution
  • temperature levels taken at a set of monitoring stations
• The aims are often to:
  • infer the characteristics of the spatial process (mean, variability, …)
  • use this information to predict the process at unsampled locations