Geometric Measures

A great variety of measures, many still in their early development, are used to describe the geometric properties of an object/distribution in geographic space. Some are derived directly from geometry, such as length, perimeter, and area, whereas others have evolved in the study of geography, for example, the compactness index. Unlike their geometric counterparts, objects/distributions in geographic space appear complex and diverse, depending on their point composition (e.g., cities), lines (railway networks), or areas (e.g., the territory of the Philippines). Furthermore, little agreement exists among spatial analysts on the classification of the various geometric measures. The history of these measures dates to the “Common Era,” when Strabo recognized the difficulty of measuring the shape of Italy. Five categories of geometric properties are recognized in the ...