DN1-3 - Interpolation

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Author and Citation Info: 

DiBiase, D., DeMers, M., Johnson, A., Kemp, K., Luck, A. T., Plewe, B., and Wentz, E. (2006). Interpolation. The Geographic Information Science & Technology Body of Knowledge. Washington, DC: Association of American Geographers. (2nd Quarter 2016, first digital).

Learning Objectives: 
  • Differentiate among common interpolation techniques (e.g., nearest neighbor, bilinear, bicubic)
  • Explain how the elevation values in a digital elevation model (DEM) are derived by interpolation from irregular arrays of spot elevations
  • Discuss the pitfalls of using secondary data that has been generated using interpolations (e.g., Level 1 USGS DEMs)
  • Estimate a value between two known values using linear interpolation (e.g., spot elevations, population between census years)