Geostatistical analysis
ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst is an extension to ArcGIS for Desktop that provides a powerful suite of tools for spatial data exploration and surface generation. It effectively bridges the gap between geostatistics and geographic information system (GIS) analysis by enabling you to model spatial phenomena, assess risk, and accurately predict values within your study area.
You can do the following with ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst:
- Visualize, model, and predict spatial relationships
- Link data, graphs, and maps dynamically
- Perform deterministic and geostatistical interpolation
- Evaluate models and predictions probabilistically to assess risks
ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst allows advanced surface modeling using a variety of methods and has the following three main components:
- Toolbar that gives access to Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) graphs
- Geostatistical wizard that guides you through the process of creating an interpolation model
- Set of geoprocessing tools that work with the outputs of the models and extend the capabilities of the Geostatistical wizard
The output generated using Geostatistical Analyst can subsequently be used in GIS models and in visualization using other ArcGIS extensions, such as ArcGIS Spatial Analyst and ArcGIS 3D Analyst. It also provides tools that are fully integrated with the GIS modeling environments, and allows GIS professionals to generate interpolation models and assess their quality before using them in further analysis.
For more information on the available geoprocessing tools for geostatistical analysis, see An overview of the Geostatistical Analyst toolbox.
Geostatistical analysis using geoprocessing
A set of geoprocessing tools exist in the Geostatistical Analyst toolbox that work with the outputs of the interpolation models and extend the capabilities of the Geostatistical wizard. The interactive variography, cross validation and visualization features do not exist in the geoprocessing tools, and can be found on the Geostatistical Analyst toolbar.
For more information on how to run a geoprocessing tool, see How to run a geoprocessing tool.
Geostatistical analysis using ArcObjects
There are no ArcObjects to assist you in geostatistical analysis. Use the geoprocessing tools and those available on the Geostatistical Analyst toolbar, discussed in the previous section, to perform these tasks.
You can pass data into the geoprocessing tools. For details on passing ArcObjects as parameters to a geoprocessing tool, see Using ArcObjects as tool input.
| Development licensing | Deployment licensing |
|---|---|
| ArcGIS for Desktop Basic: Geostatistical Analyst | |
| ArcGIS for Desktop Standard: Geostatistical Analyst | |
| ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced: Geostatistical Analyst |