ANALYSING SPATIAL DATA VIA GEOSTATISTICAL METHODS

This dissertation presents a detailed study of geostatistics. Included in this workare details of the development of geostatistics and its usefulness both in andoutside of the mining industry, a comprehensive presentation of the theory ofgeostatistics, and a discussion of the application of this theory to practicalsituations. A published debate over the validity of geostatistics is also examined.The ultimate goal of this dissertation is to provide a thorough investigation ofgeostatistics from both a theoretical and a practical perspective. The theorypresented in this dissertation is thus tested on various spatial data sets, and fromthese tests it is concluded that geostatistics can be effectively used in practiceprovided that the practitioner fully understands the theory of geostatistics and thespatial data being analyzed. A particularly interesting conclusion to come out ofthis dissertation is the importance of using additive regionalized variables in allgeostatistical analyses.