ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the basic characteristics and provides examples of spatial data including areal, geo statistical and point patterns. In geostatistical data the domain is a continuous fixed set. By continuous we mean that s varies continuously over and therefore can be observed everywhere with domain. Cressie distinguishes three basic types of spatial data through characteristics of the domain, namely, areal data, geostatistical data, and point patterns. A map projection is a transformation of the Earth’s three-dimensional surface as a flat two-dimensional plane. In areal data the domain is fixed and partitioned into a finite number of areal units with well-defined boundaries. Locations on the Earth can be referenced using geographic or projected coordinate reference. Projected coordinate reference systems use easting and northing Cartesian coordinates for referencing a location on a two-dimensional representation of the Earth. The map view package allows to very quickly create interactive visualizations to investigate both the spatial geometries and the variables in the data.
