
Soil and Water Science Department |
August 8-12, 2011
McCarty Hall B, Room 2103 University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL |
SITE
INDEX
Course Overview
This course will introduce a suite of geostatistical methods for the spatial
analysis of environmental data. Participants will learn how to apply
geostatistics for the description of spatial patterns and identification of
scales of variability, spatial interpolation and stochastic modeling of
environmental attributes, creation of risk maps and their use in
decision-making. Lectures will alternate with analysis of environmental data
using the Stanford Geostatistical Modeling Software
(S-GeMS) and the TerraSeer
Space-time Information System (STIS).Test datasets will be prepared so that
results of geostatistical prediction and impacts on decision-making can be compared and discussed during
the
course. Each participant will receive a set
of lecture notes and have the
opportunity to purchase a copy of
Dr. Goovaerts’
textbook. A copy of the public domain
S-GeMS software will be
provided. Ample time will
be allocated to discussion, and participants are invited to bring their own
case
studies to seek
Dr. Goovaerts opinion. The course provides 30 hours of training
and instruction, and a Certificate of Completion will
be provided upon conclusion. Enrollment is limited, so register early to secure
a seat in the course. Advance registration is required.
A key feature of environmental information is that each observation relates
to a particular location in space. Knowledge of an attribute value, say a
pollutant concentration or a soil property, is of little interest
unless the
location of the measurement is known and accounted for in the analysis. Another
feature is that
the information available is usually sparse which, in
combination with the imperfect knowledge of
underlying
processes, leads to a
large uncertainty
about the actual spatial distribution of values. Such an uncertainty needs to be
quantified and accounted for
in decision-making, hence probabilistic
(statistical)
tools are increasingly preferred to a deterministic approach where
a single (error-free) representation
is sought. Geostatistics provides a set of
statistical
tools for the analysis of data distributed in space and time. It
allows the description of spatial patterns in the data, the incorporation of
multiple sources of information in the mapping of environmental attributes, the
modeling of the spatial uncertainty and its
propagation through decision-making.
Since its development in the mining industry, geostatistics has emerged as the
primary tool for spatial data analysis
in various fields, ranging from earth and
atmospheric sciences, to agriculture, soil science, environmental studies, and
more recently exposure assessment and environmental epidemiology. The
recognition of the importance of geostatistical analysis is illustrated by
the
inclusion of geostatistical functions in a growing number of products, including
ArcGIS Geostatistical
Analyst and TerraSeer Space-time Information System (STIS). |
"I just wanted to let you
know that I truly enjoyed the class last week and have recommended it to my
workmates here at GSI. It is such a rare treat to take a class from a
talented and creative statistician who is not arrogant and contemptuous.
Really, you have a gift for explaining complex ideas in a simple and
straightforward way, and I am grateful to have had to opportunity to take
the class. Thanks again."
Dr.
Mindy Vanderford Groundwater Services, Inc.
"I enjoyed the course very
much and found it to be not only quite challenging but also provocative and
inspiring. For myself, there are many skills necessary to more efficiently
apply this advanced knowledge, and your course and accompanying book will
serve to provide a template on which to build a more confident approach to
geostatistical analysis. Cheers!"
David
M. Mahnken South Florida Water Management District
"I enjoyed your class and you did an
excellent job teaching a challenging subject in such a short time. As they
say today: "it was content rich!" The course will be a resource I'll draw
upon for quite sometime. I'll recommend your course to colleagues should you
have an opportunity to teach it
again here in the southeast. Thanks."
Gregory
M. Brown, P.E., Sr. Engineer, Levine-Fricke LFR Inc
"Thanks for the information on
S-GEMS. I really enjoyed your short course - the lectures and exercises were
excellent and I'm looking forward to using some of these geostatistical
tools. Well worth the trip."
Andrew
Swales, NIWA, Coastal Processes Group, New Zealand
"I thoroughly enjoyed the course
and learned much. The class exceeded my expectations and I am now
excited to apply the geostatistical techniques on my own data. Thank you for
all your hard work."
Mark
Endries, FWC, Information Science & Management
"Thanks very
much for putting together the excellent geostatistics Course at University
of Florida. This was all a very new approach for me and I really enjoyed the
opportunity to learn something new form a superb teacher. Again, thanks for
offering the course. It's going to be very useful in my future work."
Thomas Forbes, Ecologist USEPA Analytical Support Branch |
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Who
Should Attend?
-
Academics
-
Agricultural Engineers
-
City and County Government
Officials and Decision-makers
-
Climatologists
-
Environmental Consultants
-
Environmental Engineers
-
Environmental Epidemiologists
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-
Environmental Regulators
-
Environmental Scientists
-
Foresters
-
Geotechnical Engineers
-
Geophysicists and Geologists
-
Soil Scientists
-
Scientists and scientists in
training
-
Others seeking training in GIS
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10
Ways to Benefit
Upon completion of this course, you will be able
to:
-
Import, visualize and analyze your own data in a
space-time information system.
-
Conduct a complete geostatistical analysis using
the new software developed at Stanford University.
-
Detect spatial outliers in your data.
-
Analyze and model the spatial variability of your
data.
-
Map sparsely sampled environmental attributes,
and characterize the reliability of those maps.
-
Choose the interpolation technique that makes
best use of the information available.
-
Create risk maps, and use them in
decision-making.
-
Gain a basic understanding of state-of-the-art
geostatistical methods for stochastic simulation and space-time
interpolation.
-
Explore and visualize local relationships between
environmental variables.
-
Conduct a critical reading of the current
geostatistical literature.
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Course
Topics
-
What is Geostatistics? History
of Geostatistics, types of spatial data, books and on-line resources.
-
Spatial exploratory data
analysis. Data import and visualization, data transformation, detection of
spatial outliers.
-
Description
of spatial pattern. Concepts of correlogram and semivariogram, semivariogram
map, analysis of direction-dependent variability.
-
Spatial prediction. Different
types of kriging, change of support, cross-validation and jackknife.
-
Accounting for secondary
information in kriging. Algorithms to incorporate exhaustive secondary
layers, cokriging, modeling of cross-semivariograms.
-
Risk mapping and incorporation
in decision making. Parametric versus non-parametric approaches, indicator
kriging, goodness of uncertainty models.
-
Stochastic simulation.
Simulation versus estimation, simulation algorithms.
-
Space-time geostatistics.
Approaches available, a space-time model.
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Tentative
Agenda
Day 1: Monday,
August 8, 2011
9:30am–10:00am |
Registration/Sign-in: pick up course materials and name badge |
10:00am–11:30am |
Introduction
• What is Geostatistics?
• History
of Geostatistics
• Types
of spatial data
• Data
used in the course
• Books
and software |
11:30am–11:45am |
Break |
11:45am–1:00pm |
Exploratory Spatial
Data Analysis
• Data
import and visualization
• Summary
statistics & histogram
• Data
transformation
• Exercise
1 (S-GeMS) |
1:00pm–2:00pm |
Lunch on own |
2:00pm–3:30pm |
Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis
• Exercise
2 (STIS)
• Variogram
cloud
• Detection
of spatial outliers
• Exercise
3 (STIS) |
3:30pm–3:45pm |
Break |
3:45pm–5:00pm |
Description of Spatial Patterns
• Concepts
of correlogram and semivariogram
• Semivariogram
map
• Standardized
semivariograms |
Day 2: Tuesday,
August 9, 2011
9:00am–10:30am |
Description of Spatial Patterns
• Exercise
4 (S-GeMS)
• Analysis
of direction-dependent variability
• Exercise
5 (S-GeMS) |
10:30am–10:45am |
Break |
10:45am–12:00pm |
Modeling the
Spatial Variability
• Deterministic
versus probabilistic modeling
• Concepts
of random variable and function
• Decision
of stationarity |
12:00pm–1:00pm |
Lunch on own |
1:00pm–3:30pm |
Modeling the Spatial Variability
• Modeling
the semivariogram
• Anisotropy
modeling
• Exercises
6 & 7 (S-GeMS, STIS) |
3:30pm–3:45pm |
Break |
3:45pm–5:00pm |
Spatial Prediction
• Concept
of kriging
• Kriging
variance
• Change
of support and block kriging
• Cross
validation & jackknife |
Day 3: Wednesday,
August 10, 2011
9:00am–10:30am |
Spatial Prediction
• Exercise
8 (S-GeMS)
• Aggregation
& visualization of jackknife results
• Exercises
9 & 10 (STIS) |
10:30am–10:45am |
Break |
10:45am–12:00pm |
Accounting for Secondary Information in
Kriging
• Exhaustive
secondary information
▫ Kriging
within strata
▫ Simple
kriging with varying local means
▫ Kriging
with an external drift
▫ Co-located
kriging |
12:00pm–1:00pm |
Lunch on own |
1:00pm–3:30pm |
Accounting for Secondary Information in
Kriging
• Better
sampled secondary information
▫ Cokriging
▫ Cross
semivariogram estimation
▫ Linear
model of coregionalization
▫ Markov
models
• Exercise
11 (S-GeMS) |
3:30pm–3:45pm |
Break |
3:45pm–5:00pm |
Accounting for Secondary Information in
Kriging (continued) |
Day 4: Thursday,
August 11, 2011
9:00am–10:30am |
Accounting for Secondary Information in
Kriging
• Advanced
topics
▫ Nested
semivariogram models
▫ Scale-dependent
correlation
▫ Geographically-weighted
regression |
10:30am–10:45am |
Break |
10:45am–12:00pm |
Risk Mapping and Incorporation in
Decision-making
• Modeling
the local uncertainty
• MultiGaussian
kriging
• Exercise
12 (S-GeMS)
• Indicator
semivariogram
• Indicator
kriging
• Accounting
for soft information in indicator kriging |
12:00pm–1:00pm |
Lunch on own |
1:00pm–3:30pm |
Risk Mapping and Incorporation in
Decision-making
• Exercise
13 & 14 (S-GeMS)
• Accounting
for local uncertainty in decision-making
• Goodness
of uncertainty models |
3:30pm–3:45pm |
Break |
3:45pm–5:00pm |
Risk Mapping and Incorporation in
Decision-making
• Case
study: Arsenic in MI groundwater & airborne Cd contamination |
Day
5: Friday,
August 12, 2011
9:00am–10:30am |
Stochastic Simulation
• Simulation
versus Estimation
• Why
stochastic simulation
▫ Visualization
of Spatial Uncertainty
▫ Change
of support
▫ Propagation
of Uncertainty
• Concept
of space of uncertainty
• Simulation
Algorithms
▫ Sequential
simulation
▫ Simulated
annealing
▫ P-field
simulation
• Exercise
15 (S-GeMS) |
10:30am–10:45am |
Break |
10:45am–12:00pm |
Stochastic Simulation (continued)
|
12:00pm–1:00pm |
Lunch on own |
1:00pm–3:00pm |
Stochastic Simulation
• Example
of simulation studies
▫ Soil
nitrate in the Santa Fe River watershed
▫ Soil
dioxin in Midland, Michigan
Space-time Geostatistics
• Approaches
available
1. Space-rich
Time-poor information
2. Space-poor
Time-rich information
3. Space-rich
Time-rich information
• A
space-time model (Sulfate in Europe)
• Comparison
of space-time interpolation methods (PM2.5 in Los Angeles)
• Exercise
16 (STIS) |
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Course
Instructor
Dr.
Pierre Goovaerts studied at the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve
(Belgium) and at Stanford University, where he wrote the textbook entitled
Geostatistics for Natural Resources Evaluation published by Oxford
University Press in 1997. After five years on the Faculty at the University of
Michigan, he became in 2002 Chief Scientist for the R&D Company, Biomedware,
Inc, and he created his own consulting company, PGeostat, LLC. Dr. Goovaerts has
authored more than 80 refereed papers in the field of theoretical and applied
geostatistics, and he is a reviewer for 50 international journals. He has taught
numerous short courses in the US, which were attended by academics, consultants
and federal employees. He acts as a consultant for the Environmental Protection
Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and he is bringing his expertise to
numerous projects dealing with the characterization of air, soil and water
pollution and its impact on human health. Most recently, Dr. Goovaerts has been
appointed a Courtesy Associate Professor at the University of Florida, Soil and
Water Science Department.
For more information about Dr. Goovaerts, visit his Home Page at:
goovaerts.pierre.googlepages.com
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About the Book
"Every decade or so, as
knowledge about geostatistical concepts has developed and evolved, a book
has appeared that has seemed to uniquely define the discipline at that point
in time. This is one of those books, providing a remarkable synthesis of all
that this field of study is about and has become over the last 10 years. It
is clearly the best overall presentation of geostatistical theory and
methodology currently available today. As a teaching resource, the book
provides comprehensive coverage of all the major geostatistical topics of
both current and historical interest. This book is unmistakably the leader
in its field today, and it will likely be so throughout most of the decade
to come. Anyone seriously engaged in the development and practice of
geostatistical methodology will want to have a copy close at hand. Goovaerts
is to be commended for his tireless efforts in producing a volume that
should stand the test of time."
— Timothy Coburn, Technometrics, Nov 2000,
Vol 42, No 4 |

Geostatistics for Natural Resources
Evaluation provides an advanced-level introduction to geostatistics and
geostatistical methodology. The discussion includes tools for description and
quantitative modeling of spatial continuity, spatial prediction, assessment of
local uncertainty and stochastic simulation. The book is addressed to students
and practitioners with an undergraduate knowledge of statistics who want to gain
an understanding of
the methodology. The various tools are illustrated using soil contamination data
that are provided with the book and
were analyzed using the public domain geostatistical software library Gslib,
which makes the book highly suitable
for teaching both theory and practice of geostatistics.
Visit this web site:
http://goovaerts.pierre.googlepages.com/publication1.html to review the
Table of Contents of Geostatistics for Natural Resources Evaluation.
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Registration
Information
Enrollment in this course is limited to the
first 25 participants, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come,
first-served basis. Please note that the first time this course was offered at
the University of Florida, it filled in a matter of only a few days. Due to the
specialized nature of this course, advance registration is required, and we
encourage you to register early to secure a seat in the course. After the
cancellation deadline, registration fees will not be refunded.
All figures are presented in US dollars ($).
Early
Reduced Registration
(on or before July 8, 2011) |
Regular Registration
(after July 8, 2011)
(if space is available) |
without
textbook.....................$1,200 |
without
textbook...................$1,500 |
WITH
textbook ...................$1,300
Geostatistics for Natural
Resources Evaluation |
WITH
textbook ...................$1,600
Geostatistics for Natural
Resources Evaluation |
|
|
Early
Reduced Student Registration*
(on or before July 8, 2011) |
Regular
Student Registration*
(after July 8, 2011)
(if space is available) |
without
textbook.....................$800 |
without
textbook...................$1,100 |
WITH
textbook ...................$900
Geostatistics for Natural
Resources Evaluation |
WITH
textbook ...................$1,200
Geostatistics for Natural
Resources Evaluation |
* Student registrants must FAX
a copy of their student ID at time of registration.
What Does the Fee Include?
The registration fee includes one copy of a CD-ROM with lecture notes, Power
Point slides and sample datasets. The fee also includes a printed copy of the
course manual and use of the desktop computers in the training room. All
participants will also receive a free one-year license for STIS. Daily
refreshments will be provided and participants are on their own for all other
meals.
Optional Course Textbook:
Course participants also have the option to pay the higher registration fee,
which includes Dr. Goovaerts’ publication, Geostatistics for Natural
Resources Evaluation by Oxford Univ. Press, New-York, 483~p.
Before clicking
on the "Register Now!" link below, we recommend that you have payment
information on-hand, such as credit card, check number or purchase order
number, if we are to invoice your institution.
Registration for
this course has closed. |
Registration closes at Friday, July 29, 2011. There will be no onsite registration for this course.
Refund Policy: Requests for registration
refunds will be honored if written notification of cancellation is received by
the Office of Conferences and Institutes no later than July 29, 2011 and a
$300.00 processing fee will be deducted from all refunds. Sorry, after July 29, 2011, no refunds will be issued.
Special Needs: Participants with special
needs can be reasonably accommodated by contacting the Office of Conferences &
Institutes at least 10 working days prior to the course. We can be reached
by phone at 1-352-392-5930, by fax at 1-352-392-4044, or by calling
1-800-955-8771 (TDD). The TDD number can only be accessed from within the state
of Florida.
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Training
Site
This course will be held on the University of
Florida campus in the GIS Laboratory located in Room 2103 of McCarty Hall B in
Gainesville, FL.
Getting to the Short Course
The Holiday Inn offers complimentary shuttle service to and from the
University of Florida campus. Please note that 24-hour advance notice is
required for shuttle reservations. To make shuttle reservations contact
the Holiday Inn University Center at 1-352-376-1661. The shuttle is
subject to availability.
The Holiday Inn is a convenient 10-15 minute walk from McCarty Hall B.
When viewing the searchable campus map, please note that the hotel is
located on the corner of West University Avenue and 13th Street (US
441).Should you choose to drive to the short course, please note that the
University of Florida has limited parking available to visitors
on-campus. For instructions on where and how to park on campus, please
visit the UF Welcome Center parking website at
parking.ufl.edu/RUgarage/RUhome.htm.
(Please note there are fees associated with parking on-campus.) Any
questions regarding parking should be addressed to
UF parking
(1-352-392-2241). |
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Hotel
Accommodations

The Holiday Inn University Center
1250 W. University Avenue
Gainesville, FL 32601
PHONE: (352) 376-1661
FAX:
(352)-336-8717
WEB:
www.theuniversityhotel.com
The Holiday Inn University Center is
surrounded on all sides by the University of Florida, shops, boutiques,
restaurants, and "the Heart of Gainesville." This 6 story "just off campus"
landmark is a non-smoking hotel. The hotel is a short walking distance from the
GIS Laboratory in UF's McCarty Hall B.
A block of guest rooms has been reserved at
The Holiday Inn University Center for a special rate of $96 plus 11.75% tax
for single or double occupancy. All reservations must be made directly with the
hotel in order to receive the discounted rate. Be sure to specify you are
attending the "Geostat Analysis Short Course". Reservations must be made prior to
July 10, 2011. Please be
aware that traditionally the block of guest rooms fills before the deadline,
therefore we encourage you to make your reservation at your earliest
convenience. After July 10th, the discounted rate is not guaranteed.
Please
contact the hotel directly at (352) 376-1661 and mention "Geostats” to make your reservation.
Any room reservation canceled within
five (5) days of arrival will be charged one night’s room deposit.
NOTE: Tax Exemption – To receive tax
exempt status, payment must be made in the form of a government issued check or
credit card and be accompanied by a Florida sales tax exemption
certificate presented at check-in. The form of payment must match the name on
the tax exemption certificate; cash, personal checks, and personal credit cards
are not acceptable forms of payment for tax-exempt individuals or groups.
The hotel check-in time is 4:00pm and check
out is 11:00am.
All rooms have a coffee maker, high-speed
internet access, phone with voice mail, work desk with lamp, in room video
check-out, and a free morning newspaper delivered to room.
Air service is provided through the
Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV), just north of the University of Florida.
The Holiday Inn University Center provides complimentary area shuttle service to
and from the airport and other locations within a 4 mile radius of the hotel.
To secure airport shuttle transportation please contact the Holiday Inn
University Center at (352) 376-1661 to make a reservation.
Additional air service is available in
Jacksonville (JAX), Orlando (MCO) and the Tampa (TPA) areas and is a 2-3 hour
drive from the University of Florida.
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Transportation Information
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Area
Information
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Other Sites of
Interest
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For
Further Information
Course Organizer/Instructor:
Dr. Pierre Goovaerts
PGeostat, LLC
710 Ridgemont Lane
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
PHONE: (734) 668-9900
FAX: (734) 668-7788
EMAIL:
goovaerts@comcast.net
Course Organizer:
Dr. Sabine Grunwald
University of Florida/IFAS
Soil and Water Science Department
2169 McCarty Hall A
PO Box 110290
Gainesville, FL 32611-0290
PHONE: (352) 392-1951 ext. 204
FAX: (352) 392-3902
EMAIL: sabgru@ufl.edu
|
Registration Information:
Shelby Sowder
University of Florida/IFAS
Office of Conferences& Institutes (OCI)
Building 639 Mowry Road
PO Box 110750
Gainesville, FL 32611-0750
PHONE:
(352) 392-5930
FAX:
(352) 392-9734
EMAIL:
msowder@ufl.edu
|
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