Spatial Construction

Spatial characterization.

The definition of the spatial presence of an entity constrains the possible analyses which can be applied to that entity and influences the final conclusions that can be reached. While this property is fundamentally true of all analysis, it is particularly important in spatial analysis because the tools to define and study entities favour specific characterizations of the entities being studied. Statistical techniques favour the spatial definition of objects as points because there are very few statistical techniques which operate directly on line, area, or volume elements. Computer tools favour the spatial definition of objects as homogeneous and separate elements because of the primitive nature of the computational structures available and the ease with which these primitive structures can be created.