Introduction

Maps, defined quite generally to include satellite images , estimates of chemical concentrations at unsampled points, a time series of your blood pressure, and even sounds, are essential in many areas of modern life. Maps are necessary for the formulation of public policy, warfare, economic and ecological studies, mineral explorations, and weather forecasting for the evening news , among myriad other uses.
How do we take atmospheric readings at airports and get estimates at your job site? How might we repair damage to old photos? How do we guess the quality of your water from that of your neighbor?
In this exhibit we use geostatistics and spatial interpolation to give one answer to these important questions. Techniques developed to optimize the mapping process will be explained. From data to model to map, we will follow the entire process for a specific data set currently being studied by us and by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), concerning water quality in the West Salt River Valley, Maricopa County, Arizona.
More on why we need mapping...