A hierarchical bayesian model for spatial prediction of multivariate non-gaussian random fields.
As most georeferenced data sets are multivariate and concern variables of different types, spatial mapping methods must be able to deal with such data. The main difficulties are the prediction of non-Gaussian variables and the modeling of the dependence between processes. The aim of this article is to present a new hierarchical Bayesian approach that permits simultaneous modeling of dependent Gaussian, count, and ordinal spatial fields. This approach is based on spatial generalized linear mixed models. We use a moving average approach to model the spatial dependence between the processes. The method is first validated through a simulation study. We show that the multivariate model has better predictive abilities than the univariate one. Then the multivariate spatial hierarchical model is applied to a real data set collected in French Guiana to predict topsoil patterns.
Chagneau
Pierrette
P
CIRAD, UR Dynamique des forêts naturelles, 34 398 Montpellier, France. pierrette.chagneau@cirad.fr
Mortier
Frédéric
F
Picard
Nicolas
N
Bacro
Jean-Noël
JN
D001499:Bayes Theorem; D001699:Biometry / Q000379:methods*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016011:Normal Distribution