The research and its outcomes presented here focus on spatial sampling of agricultural resources. The authors introduce sampling designs and methods for producing accurate estimates of crop production for harvests across different regions and countries. With the help of real and simulated examples performed with the open-source software R, readers will learn about the different phases of spatial data collection. The agricultural data analyzed in this book help policymakers and market stakeholders to monitor the production of agricultural goods and its effects on environment and food safety.
This book contains a selection of the papers presented at the ITACOSM 2013 Conference, held in Milan in June 2013. It is intended as an international forum of scientific discussion on the developments of theory and application of survey sampling methodologies and applications in human and natural sciences. The book gathers research papers carefully selected from both invited and contributed sessions of the conference. The whole book appears to be a relevant contribution to various key aspects of sampling methodology and techniques; it deals with some hot topics in sampling theory, such as calibration, quantile-regression and multiple frame surveys and with innovative methodologies in important topics of both sampling theory and applications. Contributions cut across current sampling methodologies such as interval estimation for complex samples, randomized responses, bootstrap, weighting, modeling, imputation, small area estimation and effective use of auxiliary information; applications cover a wide and enlarging range of subjects in official household surveys, Bayesian networks, auditing, business and economic surveys, geostatistics and agricultural statistics. The book is an updated, high level reference survey addressed to researchers, professionals and practitioners in many fields.
Modern tools, such as GIS and remote sensing, are increasingly used in the monitoring of agricultural resources. The developments in GIS technology offer growing opportunities to agricultural economics analysts dealing with large and detailed spatial databases, allowing them to combine spatial information from different sources and to produce different models. The availability of these valuable sources of information makes the advanced models suggested in the spatial statistic and econometric literature applicable to agricultural economics. This book aims at supporting stakeholders to design spatial surveys for agricultural data and/or to analyse the geographically collected data. This book attempts to describe the main typology of agricultural data and the most appropriate methods for the analysis, together with a detailed description of the available data sources and their collection methods. Topics such as spatial interpolation, point patterns, spatial autocorrelation, survey data analysis, small area estimation, regional data modelling, and spatial econometrics techniques are covered jointly with issues arising from the integration of several data types. The theory of spatial methods is complemented by real and/or simulated examples implemented through the open-source software R.
This book brings together selected peer-reviewed contributions from various research fields in statistics, and highlights the diverse approaches and analyses related to real-life phenomena. Major topics covered in this volume include, but are not limited to, bayesian inference, likelihood approach, pseudo-likelihoods, regression, time series, and data analysis as well as applications in the life and social sciences. The software packages used in the papers are made available by the authors. This book is a result of the 47th Scientific Meeting of the Italian Statistical Society, held at the University of Cagliari, Italy, in 2014.
This volume collects and presents the fundamentals, tools, and processes of utilizing geospatial information technologies to process remotely sensed data for use in agricultural monitoring and management. The issues related to handling digital agro-geoinformation, such as collecting (including field visits and remote sensing), processing, storing, archiving, preservation, retrieving, transmitting, accessing, visualization, analyzing, synthesizing, presenting, and disseminating agro-geoinformation have never before been systematically documented in one volume. The book is edited by International Conference on Agro-Geoinformatics organizers Dr. Liping Di (George Mason University), who coined the term “Agro-Geoinformatics” in 2012, and Dr. Berk Üstündağ (Istanbul Technical University) and are uniquely positioned to curate and edit this foundational text. The book is composed of eighteen chapters that can each stand alone but also build on each other to give the reader a comprehensive understanding of agro-geoinformatics and what the tools and processes that compose the field can accomplish. Topics covered include land parcel identification, image processing in agricultural observation systems, databasing and managing agricultural data, crop status monitoring, moisture and evapotranspiration assessment, flood damage monitoring, agricultural decision support systems and more.
The advent of "Big Data" has brought with it a rapid diversification of data sources, requiring analysis that accounts for the fact that these data have often been generated and recorded for different reasons. Data integration involves combining data residing in different sources to enable statistical inference, or to generate new statistical data for purposes that cannot be served by each source on its own. This can yield significant gains for scientific as well as commercial investigations. However, valid analysis of such data should allow for the additional uncertainty due to entity ambiguity, whenever it is not possible to state with certainty that the integrated source is the target population of interest. Analysis of Integrated Data aims to provide a solid theoretical basis for this statistical analysis in three generic settings of entity ambiguity: statistical analysis of linked datasets that may contain linkage errors; datasets created by a data fusion process, where joint statistical information is simulated using the information in marginal data from non-overlapping sources; and estimation of target population size when target units are either partially or erroneously covered in each source. Covers a range of topics under an overarching perspective of data integration. Focuses on statistical uncertainty and inference issues arising from entity ambiguity. Features state of the art methods for analysis of integrated data. Identifies the important themes that will define future research and teaching in the statistical analysis of integrated data. Analysis of Integrated Data is aimed primarily at researchers and methodologists interested in statistical methods for data from multiple sources, with a focus on data analysts in the social sciences, and in the public and private sectors.
The three parts of this book on survey methodology combine an introduction to basic sampling theory, engaging presentation of topics that reflect current research trends, and informed discussion of the problems commonly encountered in survey practice. These related aspects of survey methodology rarely appear together under a single connected roof, making this book a unique combination of materials for teaching, research and practice in survey sampling. Basic knowledge of probability theory and statistical inference is assumed, but no prior exposure to survey sampling is required. The first part focuses on the design-based approach to finite population sampling. It contains a rigorous coverage of basic sampling designs, related estimation theory, model-based prediction approach, and model-assisted estimation methods. The second part stems from original research conducted by the authors as well as important methodological advances in the field during the past three decades. Topics include calibration weighting methods, regression analysis and survey weighted estimating equation (EE) theory, longitudinal surveys and generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis, variance estimation and resampling techniques, empirical likelihood methods for complex surveys, handling missing data and non-response, and Bayesian inference for survey data. The third part provides guidance and tools on practical aspects of large-scale surveys, such as training and quality control, frame construction, choices of survey designs, strategies for reducing non-response, and weight calculation. These procedures are illustrated through real-world surveys. Several specialized topics are also discussed in detail, including household surveys, telephone and web surveys, natural resource inventory surveys, adaptive and network surveys, dual-frame and multiple frame surveys, and analysis of non-probability survey samples. This book is a self-contained introduction to survey sampling that provides a strong theoretical base with coverage of current research trends and pragmatic guidance and tools for conducting surveys.
This book describes in detail sampling techniques that can be used for unsupervised and supervised cases, with a focus on sampling techniques for machine learning algorithms. It covers theory and models of sampling methods for managing scalability and the “curse of dimensionality”, their implementations, evaluations, and applications. A large part of the book is dedicated to database comprising standard feature vectors, and a special section is reserved to the handling of more complex objects and dynamic scenarios. The book is ideal for anyone teaching or learning pattern recognition and interesting teaching or learning pattern recognition and is interested in the big data challenge. It provides an accessible introduction to the field and discusses the state of the art concerning sampling techniques for supervised and unsupervised task. Provides a comprehensive description of sampling techniques for unsupervised and supervised tasks; Describe implementation and evaluation of algorithms that simultaneously manage scalable problems and curse of dimensionality; Addresses the role of sampling in dynamic scenarios, sampling when dealing with complex objects, and new challenges arising from big data. "This book represents a timely collection of state-of-the art research of sampling techniques, suitable for anyone who wants to become more familiar with these helpful techniques for tackling the big data challenge." M. Emre Celebi, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Computer Science, University of Central Arkansas "In science the difficulty is not to have ideas, but it is to make them work" From Carlo Rovelli
