Pitney Bowes MapInfo Vertical Mapper - Manual (Page 23)

Chapter 2: Understanding Grids
User Guide
21
• Natural Neighbour (simple and advanced)
• Rectangular
• Kriging
• Custom Point Estimation
Modeling Techniques
These techniques create grids of derived values. For example, one of the modeling techniques
included with Vertical Mapper is trade area analysis. This modeling technique uses store locations
and their relative “attractiveness” to calculate grid values measuring the percent probability of
customer patronage. In this case, the units of the resulting grid are different from the units of the
originating point file.
Vertical Mapper currently supports two modeling techniques. The first, the Location Profiler, creates
a grid measuring the average distance to point locations from anywhere within a map area. The
second, trade area analysis, is based on the Huff model and calculates a grid measuring the
probability of customer patronage within a trade area.
Other Grid Creation Techniques
You can also create grids using the following methods:
• Convert existing MapInfo Professional regions to a grid. This is known as vector-to-raster
conversion and is given the term Region to Grid in Vertical Mapper. The process simply converts
the existing region file to a grid where every grid node is given the same value as the region it
falls in. Because Vertical Mapper grids can be attributed with only one piece of information, you
are prompted to choose the column in the region file to attribute to the grid. In this way, you
choose what type of grid will be created. If a numeric column is chosen, then a numeric grid is
created. If a character column is chosen, a classified grid is created.
• Import grid files from external sources. This technique offers more flexibility with regard to the
source of the information used and analyzed.
• Analyze existing grids. Each tool used to analyze an existing grid creates a new grid with the
results of the analysis. There are many ways to analyze existing grids, for example, by
performing a viewshed analysis, by using the Grid Calculator, by using the Grid Query tool, and
by creating slope and aspect.