Glossary

Cardinal scale (level):: The nature and the content of information can be ranked into a 3 levels scale: nominal, ordinal and cardinal. At the cardinal level, properties (values) express a position in a continuum of properties. Property values can be interpreted to identify the property and to rank it in the hierarchy as well as to measure the interval between values (interval-ratio level)
Exploration:: The objectives of an analysis -and a spatial analysis- can be of 3 levels: exploration, explanation and forecasting. At the first level, exploration concentrates on the description of the concerned distribution. From this exploration activity the analyst draws several hypothesis and assumptions about factors that are influencing this distribution. They are then validated and their interactions will be modelled during the explanation phase and finally future states of the distribution can be predicted during the forecasting stage (see forecasting)
Forecasting:: The objectives of an analysis -and a spatial analysis- can be of 3 levels: exploration, explanation and forecasting. At the first level, exploration concentrates on the description of the concerned distribution. From this exploration activity the analyst draws several hypothesis and assumptions about factors that are influencing this distribution. They are then validated and their interactions will be modelled during the explanation phase and finally future states of the distribution can be predicted during the forecasting stage (see exploration)
Geometric dimension:: The context of an environmental study (the biosphere in Geoscience) can be structured with 3 dimensions: thematic, geometric and time. The geometric dimension expresses the geometric properties attached to a list of observations (spatial features, entities,…) such as location, length, size, as well as spatial relationships
Land Use/Cover Change (LUCC):: The cover or the use of the earth surface is described with a set of category types. Throughout time these cover or use categories can change. The objective of a LUCC analysis is to describe, to understand or to predict such changes in the spatial distribution of landcover or landuse
Modelling:: The action to construct a simplified but structured system including relevant elements and interactions of the studied object. A model can be theoretical or operational. It is used to describe, to explain or to forecast processes
Multivariate analysis:: Description and inter-relation analysis of a set of variables (see Univariate analysis). Most analyses are multivariate as many factors influence a studied phenomenon and interact with each other
Nominal scale (level):: The nature and the content of information can be ranked into a 3 levels scale: nominalnominal, ordinal and cardinal. At the nominal level, properties (values) express categories. Property values can be interpreted as a label to identify a category and to differentiate from other categories
Non-spatial:: A process or a phenomenon distribution that is not related to spatial properties (non-spatially dependant). Or when the information model does not take space into consideration (no geometric dimension)
Ordinal scale (level):: The nature and the content of information can be ranked into a 3 levels scale: nominal, ordinal and cardinal. At ordinal level, properties (values) express a position in a ranked set of properties. Property values can be interpreted to identify the property and to rank it in the hierarchy
Spatial:: Related with geographical space. It combines the properties of the thematic and the geometric dimensions to characterise spatial features (objects) or spatial units of observation and the distribution pattern of thematic properties
Spatial dimension:: The context of an environmental study (the biosphere in Geoscience) can be structured with 3 dimensions: thematic, geometric and time. When analysing spatial features it is necessary to combine their thematic and geometric properties. This combination of the thematic and geometric dimensions is called the spatial dimension
Spatial dynamics:: Evolution of the spatial distribution of phenomenon properties throughout time. It concerns the change of thematic and geometric properties of spatial features. It also includes the movement of features throughout space
Thematic dimension:: The context of an environmental study (the biosphere in Geoscience) can be structured with 3 dimensions: thematic, geometric and time. The thematic dimension expresses the properties attached to a list of observations (features, entities,…) for a single or a set of phenomenon (variable)
Time dimension:: The context of an environmental study (the biosphere in Geoscience) can be structured with 3 dimensions: thematic, geometric and time. The time dimension expresses the thematic properties attached to a list of observations (features, entities,…) for different moments or periods of time. It carries also the geometric changes of spatial features throughout time
Univariate analysis:: Description of the distribution properties of a single variable or individual description of a set of variables (see Multivariate analysis)