Abstract

A Tool for Optimizing Parameters of Inverse Distance Weight Function
Track: Analysis
Authors: Dongmei Chen

Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) function is a commonly used interpolation method in environmental science and physical geography. Current IDW tools available in ArcGIS and spatial analysis packages require inputs of several parameters including exponent power, number of neighbors, search distance, and etc. It is often hard to configure and optimize these parameters using the default settings. This paper presents an IDW optimization tool that can search the optimal exponent power and search radius parameters for a given data set. This model employs genetic algorithm (GA) as an optimization algorithm to achieve good approximation by reducing the root mean square error (RMSE). The tool developed in this paper can perform optimization for these parameters at a global or local level and output the optimal parameters and their associated interpolated surfaces.