Citation

Robertson B, Price C, Reale M. Biometrics 2024; 80(2): ujae026.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Biometric Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1093/biomtc/ujae026

PMID

38591365

Abstract

A spatial sampling design determines where sample locations are placed in a study area so that population parameters can be estimated with relatively high precision. If the response variable has spatial trends, spatially balanced or well-spread designs give precise results for commonly used estimators. This article proposes a new method that draws well-spread samples over arbitrary auxiliary spaces and can be used for master sampling applications. All we require is a measure of the distance between population units. Numerical results show that the method generates well-spread samples and compares favorably with existing designs. We provide an example application using several auxiliary variables to estimate total aboveground biomass over a large study area in Eastern Amazonia, Brazil. Multipurpose surveys are also considered, where the totals of aboveground biomass, primary production, and clay content (3 responses) are estimated from a single well-spread sample over the auxiliary space.

Language: en

Keywords

*Sample Size; environmental sampling; linear assignments; over-sampling; spatial balance; Surveys and Questionnaires