Discussion of "modern statistics of spatial point processes"

The paper ‘Modern statistics for spatial point processes' by Jesper Møller and Rasmus P. Waagepetersen is based on a special invited lecture given by the authors at the 21st Nordic Conference on Mathematical Statistics, held at Rebild, Denmark, in June 2006. At the conference, Antti Penttinen and Eva B. Vedel Jensen were invited to discuss the paper. We here present the comments from the two invited discussants and from a number of other scholars, as well as the authors' responses to these comments. Below Figure 1, Figure 2, etc., refer to figures in the paper under discussion, while Figure A, Figure B, etc., refer to figures in the current discussion. All numbered sections and formulas ref…

Statistics in Practice

The Homogeneous Poisson Point Process

Comparing estimators of the galaxy correlation function

We present a systematic comparison of some usual estimators of the 2--point correlation function, some of them currently used in Cosmology, others extensively employed in the field of the statistical analysis of point processes. At small scales, it is known that the correlation function follows reasonably well a power--law expression $\xi(r) \propto r^{-\gamma}$. The accurate determination of the exponent $\gamma$ (the order of the pole) depends on the estimator used for $\xi(r)$; on the other hand, its behavior at large scale gives information on a possible trend to homogeneity. We study the concept, the possible bias, the dependence on random samples and the errors of each estimator. Erro…

Finite Point Processes

Fitting and Testing Point Process Models

Appendix C: Fundamentals of geostatistics

Measuring galaxy segregation with the mark connection function

(abridged) The clustering properties of galaxies belonging to different luminosity ranges or having different morphological types are different. These characteristics or `marks' permit to understand the galaxy catalogs that carry all this information as realizations of marked point processes. Many attempts have been presented to quantify the dependence of the clustering of galaxies on their inner properties. The present paper summarizes methods on spatial marked statistics used in cosmology to disentangle luminosity, colour or morphological segregation and introduces a new one in this context, the mark connection function. The methods used here are the partial correlation functions, includi…

Appendix B: Geometrical Characteristics of Sets

Stationary Point Processes

Recent applications of point process methods in forestry statistics

Forestry statistics is an important field of applied statistics with a long tradition. Many forestry problems can be solved by means of point processes or marked point processes. There, the "points" are tree locations and the "marks" are tree characteristics such as diameter at breast height or degree of damage by environmental factors. Point pro- cess characteristics are valuable tools for exploratory data analysis in forestry, for describing the variability of forest stands and for under- standing and quantifying ecological relationships. Models of point pro- cesses are also an important basis of modern single-tree modeling, that gives simulation tools for the investigation of forest stru…

Stationary Marked Point Processes

Erosion–dilation analysis for experimental and synthetic microstructures of sedimentary rock

Abstract Microstructures such as rock samples or simulated structures can be described and characterized by means of ideas of spatial statistics and mathematical morphology. A powerful approach is to transform a given 3D structure by operations of mathematical morphology such as dilation and erosion. This leads to families of structures, for which various characteristics can be determined, for example, porosity, specific connectivity number or correlation and connectivity functions. An application of this idea leads to a clear discrimination between a sample of Fontainebleau sandstone and two simulated samples.

Modelling and Simulation of Stationary Point Processes

Appendix A: Fundamentals of statistics

Point field models for the galaxy point pattern modelling the singularity of the two-point correlation function

There is empirical evidence that the two-point correlation function of the galaxy distribution follows, for small scales, reasonably well a power-law expression $\xi(r)\propto r^{-\gamma}$ with $\gamma$ between 1.5 and 1.9. Nevertheless, most of the point field models suggested in the literature do not have this property. This paper presents a new class of models, which is produced by modifying point fields commonly used in cosmology to mimic the galaxy distribution, but where $\gamma=2$ is too large. The points are independently and randomly shifted, leading to the desired reduction of the value of $\gamma$.