Page 215 - Modern Spatiotemporal Geostatistics

196 Modern Spatiotemporal Geostatistics — Chapter 9

Step 3. Choosing the BME mapping scheme. This is a multifold task including
issues like the following:
(a) single-point or multipoint;
(b) point or functional; and
(c) single-variable or multivariable.
Step 4. Using feedback to coordinate the developments in (a)-(c) of Step 3
above with the application-specific goals and objectives.
The modern geostatistician's reality checklist is based on a combination
of two perspectives: theoretical and practical. Following Whitehead (1969),
we shall call the theoretical perspective the "Reason of Plato," and the prac-
tical perspective, the "Reason of Odysseus." Plato was the great philosopher
of ancient Greece who championed the theoretical approach to scientific prob-
lems. Odysseus, Homer's mythic hero, on the other hand, was always capabl
of coming up with smart solutions to all kinds of practical problems he and his
crew faced during their long journey. This metaphor serves our case well. In-
deed, the aim of modern spatiotemporal geostatistics is to integrate effectively
the powerful theoretical features of the "Reason of Plato" with the practical
thinking of the "Reason of Odysseus." If, as it has been said, "Plato shared
his perspective with the gods and Odysseus with the foxes," then the modern
geostatistician shares his or her perspective with both!