Abstract.
This is the third of a four-part series on the development of a general framework for error analysis in measurement-based geographic information systems (MBGIS). In this paper, we study the characteristics of error structures in intersections and polygon overlays. When locations of the endpoints of two line segments are in error, we analyze errors of the intersection point and obtain its error covariance matrix through the propagation of the error covariance matrices of the endpoints. An approximate law of error propagation for the intersection point is formulated within the MBGIS framework. From simulation experiments, it appears that both the relative positioning of two line segments and the error characteristics of the endpoints can affect the error characteristics of the intersection. Nevertheless, the approximate law of error propagation captures nicely the error characteristics under various situations. Based on the derived results, error analysis in polygon-on-polygon overlay operation is also performed. The relationship between the error covariance matrices of the original polygons and the overlaid polygons is approximately established.
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This project was supported by the earmarked grant CUHK 4362/00H of the Hong Kong Research grants Council.
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Leung, Y., Ma, JH. & Goodchild, M. A general framework for error analysis in measurement-based GIS Part 3: Error analysis in intersections and overlays. J Geograph Syst 6, 381–402 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-004-0143-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10109-004-0143-2
Key words
- Error analysis
- line-in-polygon overlay
- polygon-on-polygon overlay
- intersection point
- approximate law of error propagation