This function attempts to find a simple rule for predicting
the intensity of a point process using explanatory covariates.
The arguments ... specify the point pattern data
and explanatory covariates in the same way as they would be
in the function ppm.
The recursive partitioning algorithm rpart
is then used to find a partitioning rule.
In the resulting model, a recursively partitioned point process model,
the intensity function
of the point process can be evaluated at any spatial location
by following a decision tree. Each fork in the tree is defined by a split
on the value of one of the spatial covariates at the query location.
For example, for a numerical covariate \(Z\), the left branch of the fork
is followed if \(Z < c\) and the right fork is followed if
\(Z \ge c\), where \(c\) is the critical value of the
split.
For a categorical covariate, the left branch of the fork is followed
if the value of \(Z\) is one of a specified set of levels of
\(Z\), and the right branch is followed otherwise.
The tree is followed until reaching a leaf (terminal node)
and this determines the value of the intensity.
The decision tree can be visualised as a tree by
plot.rppm.
The split rules are printed in text form by print.rppm.
The predicted intensity at all spatial locations
is computed by predict.rppm. The division of space
into subsets with different predicted intensities is
computed by as.tess.rppm.