Proximity analysis

Proximity analysis is a class of spatial analysis tools and algorithms that employ geographic distance as a central principle.

[1] Distance is fundamental to geographic inquiry and spatial analysis, due to principles such as the friction of distance, Tobler's first law of geography, and Spatial autocorrelation, which are incorporated into analytical tools.

[2] Proximity methods are thus used in a variety of applications, especially those that involve movement and interaction.

All proximity analysis tools are based on a measure of distance between two locations.

[2] There are a variety of tools, models, and algorithms that incorporate geographic distance, due to the variety of relevant problems and tasks.