Geostatistics is concerned with estimation and prediction problems for spatially continuous phenomena, using data obtained at a limited number of spatial locations. The name reflects its origins in mineral exploration, but the methods are now used in a wide range of settings including public health and the physical and environmental sciences. Model-based geostatistics refers to the application of general statistical principles of modeling and inference to geostatistical problems. This volume is the first book-length treatment of model-based geostatistics.

The authors have written an...