ABSTRACT
This chapter presents geostatistical models for continuous spatial processes. Areal data, also known as lattice data, usually refers to data that are observed within given boundaries. For example, administrative boundaries are often used and the variables of study aggregated over the regions. Administrative boundaries will produce a lattice which will often have an irregular structure. A regular lattice occurs when areas are structured as a matrix in rows and columns. It is often the case that spatial data is in a regular lattice as a result of an experimental design or data collection structure. Spatial models for lattice data are often defined as random effects with a variance-covariance structure that depends on the neighborhood structure of the areas. Lattice data are seldom in a regular grid. For example, administrative boundaries usually lead to an irregular lattice. All models provide similar posterior point estimates of the median housing value.
