A comparison of different GIS-based interpolation methods for bathymetric data: case study of Bawean Island, East Java

Abstract

The bottom surface’s portrayal is crucial in many different practices. Therefore, accurate bathymetry data is required. The interpolation method is one element that influences the accuracy of a Single Beam Echosounder’s depth data. IDW, Kriging, and TIN are three standard interpolation techniques. This study compares these three methods with two scenarios utilizing the spatial analysis to establish the most effective technique for producing the digital elevation model of the seafloor beneath Bawean Island. The IDW exhibits the strongest R-squared (0.9998779 in Scenario-1 and 0.9999875 in Scenario-2) and correlation (0.9998796 in Scenario-1 and 0.9999595 in Scenario-2). It indicates that IDW and bathymetric data have the closest relationships. IDW has the lowest error, as measured by the MAE value (0.02 in Scenario-1 and 0.009 in Scenario-2), followed in both cases by Kriging and TIN. Additionally, the RMSE for IDW shows the same outcome (0.045 in Scenario 1 and 0.016 in Scenario 2). In the meantime, comparing the first and second scenarios reveals that the second, which has fewer data, is preferable to the first. Since the MAE and RMSE in the first scenario are greater than those in the second, we may infer that more data leads to more significant errors.

Keywords

• SBES
• interpolation methods
• IDW
• Kriging
• TIN
• spatial analysis