What Is Special about Spatial Data? Alternative Perspectives on Spatial Data Analysis

The analysis of spatial data has always played a central role in the quantitative scientific tradition in geography. Recently, there have appeared a considerable number of publications devoted to presenting research results and to assessing the state of the art. For example, at an elementary level, Goodchild (1987a), Griffith (1987a), and Odland (1988) introduce the concept of spatial autocorrelation, and Boots and Getis (1988) review the analysis of point patterns. At more advanced levels, Anselin (1988a) an