Simulation of a directional process by means of an anisotropic buffer operator

Abstract

Geographic information systems have usually implemented a module that allows areas to be delimited by an isotropic buffer. In this kind of buffer, the generating polygon is a circle, which implies a constant distance from the border of the buffer to the object. The simulation of anisotropic processes, in contrast, requires the use of generating polygons which determine directionally non-uniform areas of influence. In this paper, a review of how some of the commercial GISs address the problem of anisotropy is presented, concluding that commercial GIS have modules that allow to perform spatial analysis. However, the anisotropic analysis tools are not sufficiently developed, being restricted to implementations based on the study of distance costs. In addition, we proposed a method to check the anisotropy and the creation of a generator oval that allows to delimit zones of influence that represent phenomena with anisotropic characteristics.