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Thiessen polygons

 
Geography Dictionary: Thiessen polygon
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A subdivision of a drainage basin, containing a rain gauge. Polygons are constructed by first siting the rain gauges. Their locations are plotted on a base map. These points are connected by drawing straight lines between the sites. The lines are bisected with perpendiculars which meet to form the polygons. The areas of the polygons are calculated and expressed as fractions of the total area. Each fraction is multiplied by the precipitation recorded by its rain gauge. The sum of these calculations represents total precipitation over the catchment area.

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Archaeology Dictionary: Thiessen polygons
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[Te]

A formal method for exploring settlement patterns based on notional polygons constructed around a series of distributed points by taking the calculated mid-line between each pair of adjacent points to form the lattice. They provide a general approximation of the extent, shape, and orientation of the spheres of influence or territory around recorded settlements or other nodes in the settlement pattern.
 
 

 

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Geography Dictionary. A Dictionary of Geography. Copyright © Susan Mayhew 1992, 1997, 2004. All rights reserved.  Read more
Archaeology Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more