Geostatistics and GIS: tools for environmental risk assessment

The environmental risk analysis involves the observation of complex phenomena. Different kinds of information, such as environmental, socio-economic, political and institutional data, are usually collected. In this paper, spatial temporal geostatistical analysis is combined with the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS): the integration between geostatistical tools and GIS enables the identification of alternative scenarios and possible strategies for the environmental risk management. A case study on environmental data measured in the southern part of Apulia region (South of Italy), called Grande Salento, is discussed. Sample data (concentrations of PM10, wind speed, temperature) taken at different air monitoring stations are used for stochastic prediction, through space-time indicator kriging.