Mapping the anthropic backfill thickness of the historical center of Rome (Italy) by using kriging with external drift (original) (raw)

This work implements geostatistical interpolation techniques, specifically different kriging methods, to determine the spatial distribution of anthropic backfill thickness in the historical center of Rome, which influences seismic behavior and settlement patterns. Utilizing approximately 1000 data points and a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) as an external drift variable, the study compares Ordinary Kriging, Universal Kriging, and Kriging with External Drift (KED), finding that KED significantly improves the prediction accuracy through cross-validation assessments. Future research may explore advanced techniques like Intrinsic Random Functions to further enhance spatial interpolation.