Developing and testing of an error propagation model for GIS overlay operations

Abstract

This study examines the propagation of thematic error through GIS overlay operations. Existing error propagation models for these operations are shown to yield results that are inconsistent with actual levels of propagation error. An alternate model is described that yields more consistent results. This model is based on the frequency of errors of omission and commission in input data. Model output can be used to compute a variety of error indices for data derived from different overlay operations.