Statistical analysis of complex and spatially dependent data: A review of Object Oriented Spatial Statistics

We review recent advances in Object Oriented Spatial Statistics, a system of ideas, algorithms and methods that allows the analysis of high dimensional and complex data when their spatial dependence is an important issue. At the intersection of different disciplines – including mathematics, statistics, computer science and engineering – Object Oriented Spatial Statistics provides the right perspective to address key problems in varied contexts, from Earth and life sciences to urban planning. We illustrate a few paradigmatic methods applied to problems of prediction, classification and smoothing, giving emphasis to the key ideas Object Oriented Spatial Statistics relies upon.