Measuring the performance of geosimulation models by map comparison

Abstract

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Comparing spatial patterns in raster data using R

“…While the diversity of packages brings numerous benefits, the lack of coordination and standardization presents downsides to working independently. Given the multitude of scientific questions and the almost unlimited range of possible map comparison methods (Hagen-Zanker, 2008), there is no universal method for assessing the similarity between spatial patterns. Thus, it is worth noting that the presented methods are not exhaustive, and there are many unresolved questions and things to consider.…”

“…The primary method for comparing spatial patterns is a visual inspection. It takes advantage of the human ability to recognize patterns and considers many aspects, including local and global similarities, and logical coherence (Hagen-Zanker, 2008). However, both the observer's perspective and the chosen visualization method can heavily influence the results, making it a subjective process.…”

“…Additionally, some of the methods can be used to compare both non-disjoint and disjoint areas. Hagen-Zanker (2008) distinguishes between methods that are able to compare overlapping areas and those that are not. The former (non-disjoint) are often used to compare the same area at different times or for other data products, while the latter (disjoint) are used to either compare the same area or compare different regions.…”