Introduction: Spatial Statistics

Abstract

A wide array of topics in spatial statistics introduce methodological controversy: aggregate versus disaggregated data inference (e.g., the ecological fallacy), modelling the spatial covariance versus the spatial inverse covariance matrix, including fixed and/or random effects terms in a model specification, spatial autocorrelation specified as part of the mean response versus part of the variance parameter, and methods for simulating spatially autocorrelated random variables.