FuzzyKrig: a comprehensive matlab toolbox for geostatistical estimation of imprecise information

Using kriging has been accepted today as the most common method of estimating spatial data in such different fields as the geosciences. To be able to apply kriging methods, it is necessary that the data and variogram model parameters be precise. To utilize the imprecise (fuzzy) data and parameters, use is made of fuzzy kriging methods. Although it has been 30 years since different fuzzy kriging algorithms were proposed, its use has not become as common as other kriging methods (ordinary, simple, log, universal, etc.); lack of a comprehensive software that can perform, based on different fuzzy kriging algorithms, the related calculations in a 3D space can be the main reason. This paper describes an open-source software toolbox (developed in Matlab) for running different algorithms proposed for fuzzy kriging. It also presents, besides a short presentation of the fuzzy kriging method and introduction of the functions provided by the FuzzyKrig toolbox, 3 cases of the software application under the conditions where: 1) data are hard and variogram model parameters are fuzzy, 2) data are fuzzy and variogram model parameters are hard, and 3) both data and variogram model parameters are fuzzy.